Uprising
by Datrandomcat
Summary: After settling down, Craig Tucker, more infamously known as Feldspar the Thief, and Tweek the Barbarian find themselves and the now united Human and Elf kingdoms faced with a new threat. One more dangerous and intimidating than the previously defeated Grand Wizard King.
1. From Good to Bad

**ATTENTION: This is a sequel to my other story, The Thief and the Barbarian. If you want context and to understand what's going on, I suggest you read that first.**

* * *

"That should do it!" Craig smiled as he brushed his hands together in accomplishment, staring up at the simple, rustic, yet well-built cabin in front of him. He looked to the side at the blonde that was staring up at it as well, and he moved his arm to wrap it around the boy's waist, pulling him against his side. "What do you think?"

"It's lovely, Craig. I think we did good." Tweek, of course, had done most of the heavy lifting. Though small in stature, he was certainly stronger than Craig. The black-haired boy simply took care of the small details: shingling to keep the rain from getting in between the logs that made up the ceiling, the architectural design, the layout, the flooring and, of course, the interior decorating. Tweek mainly did the building, while Craig helped with the framing. But after one long month of tedious work, it was done, and they looked on proudly. They'd made a place they can call home, instead of staying in that dingy cave.

"I think so, too." Craig said before pressing a kiss to Tweek's head, earning a blush from the boy. "Come on, let's go inside instead of standing here, gawking like a couple of idiots." Tweek simply smiled and nodded in response. As they walked in, Craig's arm still wrapped around Tweek's waist, they took in the main entrance room that took up the front half of the building. There was a window on either side of the door and a window on the left and right walls. To the left was a living area of sorts. A couch with feather-filled cushioning lined with soft animal hide and two single chairs with the same, as well as an oval-shaped short table in the middle that Craig had woodworked into being. To the right was a kitchen area that had wooden bins where the tops were level with the floorboards; the rest of the bin being sunken into the dirt underneath to keep food at a relatively cool temperature. There were small sacks of cooking supplies on shelves that were labelled neatly. That was Tweek's idea. There was a small, round, wooden table in the middle of the kitchen with three chairs. Why three? Tweek had insisted that it was 'just in case,' but he never explained what that 'just in case' was. A carpet of animal hide laid sprawled at the entrance.

Past the first half of the cabin was a short hallway, though it could hardly be called that, that had a room on either side. To the left was a rudimentary bathroom, and to the right was the bedroom that they would share. Craig turned his head and smiled at Tweek.

"It ended up better than I thought it would be."

"Yeah. Even if it is small and simple, it's really cozy...and nice."

"Especially for two idiots who have never made a cabin before." The black-haired boy chuckled. Tweek chuckled in return, letting out a happy sigh as he looked around.

"I'm just glad to finally be done. After a month of nonstop work...I'm finally ready to relax." He said softly. Craig nodded.

"Then I guess we'd better get acquainted to our new bed." He said, though there was a hinting tone to his voice as he smirked at the blonde. Tweek side-eyed him and blushed, giving a nervous chuckle.

"Craig, I said I wanted to relax, not...whatever you're thinking." The blonde looked away to hide his blush. Craig chuckled as well, grabbing his hand and leading him towards the bedroom.

"Alright, alright, but if you change your mind...let me know." He replied in an amused tone, as if he already knew the outcome.

~o~O~o~

Tweek groaned as rays of dim sunlight flooded in through the window, causing him to shield his eyes with his arm. He laid there a bit longer, now awake, before finally finding the courage to uncover his face and blink through the soft glare. Giving a light yawn, he rubbed his eyes before glancing around tiredly, his eyes landing on Craig, who was fast asleep next to him. That's also when he noticed their lack of clothes, and he groaned again, this time of disappointment in himself. Craig was too persuasive for his own good.

He sighed and got out of bed, scooping his pants off of the floor and slipping them on. He really needed to obtain another pair of pants than the one he owned. All his clothes had been left at the Barbarian encampment a while back. He usually just washed his clothes and himself in a nearby stream, but he came to realize that having only one outfit was bothersome. He sat on the edge of the bed and slipped on his boots before grabbing his knife from the nightstand. Time to start the day.

Tweek moved to the kitchen area lethargically and walked to the small table, grabbing an apple from the wooden bowl in the middle and stepping outside. To the left, reigns tied to a stake, was a familiar white equine. He smiled and walked over. She looked at him and craned her head towards the apple in his hand.

"Yes, yes, hold on." He chuckled as he grabbed his knife and cut the apple in two, feeding half of it to the mare. She took it gratefully. Tweek smiled as he bit into his own half, and the two enjoyed their breakfast. "You know..." He began, looking at the horse. "...we never really officially named you, did we?" He asked, reaching up and stroking a hand down the mare's neck. "Probably should talk to Craig about that." He chuckled to himself. He heard grumbling come from inside the cabin. "Speak of the devil." No sooner had he said that did Craig stumble outside, looking grumpy and tired.

"Thanks for waking me up, asshole." Craig clearly wasn't a morning person like Tweek was.

"I didn't wake you up."

"Yes, I know. I was being sarcastic." Craig sighed before leaning back against the wall, closing his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest as his cheeks turned an ever so slight shade of pink. "You know I like getting up when you do."

"I thought I'd let you sleep in. You looked so peaceful. And I figured you'd be extra tired after...last night." Tweek smirked coyly. Craig's expression visibly softened as he ran a hand down his face.

"Tch." That was Craig's only response as he relaxed against the building. Tweek wouldn't be surprised if Craig fell back to sleep standing like that. It was always such a chore getting Craig to wake up in the morning, but he always demanded Tweek did so for reasons he couldn't quite fathom. Tweek was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the rustling of leaves and a light groan come from several yards ahead. His head snapped to attention as his hand twitched readily. Then, suddenly, a figure appeared through the bushes, stumbling awkwardly towards them. Tweek furrowed his brows as his hand found his knife handle once more. Craig seemed to finally take notice, too, as his eyes snapped open and he pushed himself from the wall. The figure never stopped approaching.

"Hey! Get out of here! I'm warning you!" Tweek barked, immediately hostile, as he gripped his knife tighter. Craig, however, narrowed his eyes. Something was off. Craig took a few steps towards the approaching person, earning a confused look from Tweek. That's when the figure let out another small groan before finally stopping, and dropping to the ground like a weight. An arrow was protruding from his back.

"Oh, fuck!" Craig exclaimed as he rushed towards the body.


	2. Urgent Summons

Craig quickly knelt down next to the body, putting his fingers on the side of his neck, but there was no pulse. He was dead. With a sigh, Craig turned him over onto his back to see that it was a young male Elf. What was he doing all the way out here? Tweek joined him in kneeling down by the body.

"An Elf?" He asked, seemingly reading Craig's mind.

"Who did this to him? And _why_?" Craig muttered, looking him over. He was wearing casual clothes instead of traditional Elf gear, so that explained why they didn't recognize him as one of Kyle's people. But what was he doing wandering the forest, and alone, no less?

"Do you think we should tell Kyle?" Tweek asked.

"Mh. A single death isn't worth travelling all the way to the Elf kingdom. But this guy does deserve a burial out of respect since the Elves have been so good to us. And we can't just leave him to be eaten by animals." Craig answered. Tweek nodded in agreement.

~o~O~o~

In a separate part of the woods a distance from their home, they filled in the hole with dirt.

"You think that's enough?" Tweek asked, shoving the front of the spade into the ground so that it stood upright on its own.

"Yeah, should be." Craig said softly, staring at the grave with furrowed eyebrows. What had happened to him? And why had he gone all the way out here? The Elf kingdom was a good distance. Had he been running from something? Was he an outlaw, perhaps? He simply shook his head. This was out of his hands now and, frankly, not his problem. He turned to Tweek. "Come on. Lets wash up in the river." Craig suggested, looking down at his and Tweek's now filthy pants. Tweek nodded, quickly grabbing ahold of Craig's hand, a habit he had developed whenever they were to go anywhere.

They walked in the direction of the flowing river, close enough that they could hear it, but not see it. They weaved through the trees until it came into view. They stopped at the bank and looked down. Tweek was about to step in when he heard Craig speak to him. "Wow, would you look at that." Tweek looked back at him to see him looking upward slightly. He looked up too, and when he did, he suddenly found himself sprawling down into the water with a large splash, not even having time to gasp. When he resurfaced, he saw Craig standing there, laughing.

"Was that really _necessary_?" The blonde growled. Craig snickered as he stepped into the water.

"Absolutely."

"Asshole." Tweek said as he took water into his mouth and spit it at Craig, who laughed as he shielded himself. Craig approached Tweek with a smirk, and the blonde backed up, his movements slowed by the water. "C-craig? Craig, what are you doing?" The black-haired boy didn't answer, but as Tweek's back hit the ledge of the riverbank, Craig stopped in front of him and brought his hands to the boy's hips, pulling him against him. "Craig, what-"

"_Shh_..." Craig's expression went from a smirk to a soft, loving expression as he pressed his forehead against Tweek's. He spoke again, his voice soft. "Can I not just enjoy a moment with you? After what just happened, I want something to take my mind off of it." Tweek felt his heart skip a beat as he stared into Craig's green eyes in surprise, but there were no hints of a joke. He smiled, moving his hands to the thief's shoulders. At that moment, everything around them seemed to fade. The birdsong, the trees, and even the waist-high water that flowed around them. After several blissful moments, Tweek finally spoke.

"I love you, Craig..." He muttered.

"Mhm..." Craig answered back. Tweek bit his lip as he felt a pang in his chest. Ever since they had officially become a couple, Tweek told the thief that he loved him nearly every day, but Craig had never once said it back. He only ever gave the same response, a simple 'mhm.' It drove Tweek crazy, but at the same time, he knew that 'I love you' was just a phrase. Meaningless words that, when strung together, have a human-made meaning. But in every way that wasn't verbal, Craig showed his undying love and devotion to Tweek every single day. He knew Craig would risk his life for him. He knew Craig would never leave him. He _knew_ Craig _loved_ him. The emotion practically emanated from the thief when they were together, especially in moments like this. He just wasn't good at outwardly expressing himself. Tweek could feel his love, and that was enough. But...it would be nice to hear it from time to time.

As the two stood there, simply taking in each other's presence and shared breath, the water making them sway slightly, Craig stared into Tweek's blue eyes, and he was enraptured. He could be like this forever. Unfortunately, forever was impossible to obtain, especially as he watched Tweek's eyes snap open wide and stare past him. The blonde shuddered, opening his mouth to seemingly say something, but no words came out. His expression devolved into one of horror. Craig whipped around, the peace broken as he saw what Tweek was seeing. Bodies. Three bodies floating down the river they were currently in. Two humans and another Elf. And the humans...they looked familiar to Craig, but he couldn't quite place it.

"Shit!" He yelped, forcing Tweek up onto the bank before pulling himself out of the water as well. He heaved, looking back towards the water as he and Tweek, mouths slightly agape, watched them float along the current. Craig felt a chill run through him as he pulled Tweek against him, neither saying a word.

_Just what the hell was going on_?

~o~O~o~

Tweek paced back and forth across the living area as Craig sat on the couch, his hand covering his face as he listened to Tweek rant.

"Bodies, man? _Bodies_? Okay, first, the one guy, _okay_. Shit happens. B-but...but those others? In the river? Wh-what the _hell_, man? What happened to them?"

"Well, I think it's safe to assume that whatever killed the one guy killed the others."

"But that guy was alive when we saw him! And died from an arrow! The others were dead in the water!"

"Maybe that one Elf escaped and got shot in the back as he was doing it. Maybe he would've been floating in the river with the others otherwise."

"Either way, that's _murder_, man!"

"Maybe they were criminals and got what they deserved."

"You're taking this _way_ too lightly!"

"And you're making _a lot_ of assumptions!"

"Well, I'm sorry if seeing four mysteriously dead bodies in one day is freaking me out a little bit, especially being so close to our home!" Tweek cried. Craig sighed and stood, walking up to Tweek and putting his hands on his shoulders.

"Tweek, you need to calm down. Okay, even if this is a big deal, freaking out won't solve anything. What do you think we should do?"

"_We_-" As Tweek was about to speak, there was a loud caw from the window by the door. The two boys turned their attention to the sound to see a large, black bird staring at them through the window. It then began pecking sharply at the glass. Craig cocked an eyebrow and walked to the door, stepping outside. He flung his arms towards the bird in an attempt to scare it, but it stayed where it was perched, cocking its head to the side before cawing again.

"Get outta here, stupid bird!"

"Wait-" Tweek suddenly said as he pushed past Craig, walking up to the bird. "Look." Tweek reached out a hand and placed it on the bird's back. It let out an impatient croak. That's when Craig noticed that something was tied to it. It was a carrier raven. Craig had heard of them, but never saw one in action. Tweek grabbed what was attached to it and pulled it off. It was a letter. He opened it, then immediately handed it to Craig. "It's addressed to you."

"_Me_?" Craig asked, taking it. He looked it over, and as he read, his eyes widened. His eyes flicked up to Tweek.

"What does it say?"

"It's an urgent summons...from _Clyde_."


	3. Unsettling News

As the horse approached the dark castle, the two boys looked on in awe. An incomplete moat surrounded the great building, but where there should be water was a mysterious green, viscous liquid. Tweek remembered seeing it when he came to get Clyde to rescue Craig, but there wasn't nearly as much then. The two grew uncomfortable at the sight as they passed and arrived at the gate. Tweek hopped off of the horse and helped Craig down. The two guards at the entrance moved to stop them, but when they recognized Craig, especially after he shot them a glare, they returned to their original positions.

Craig strode right inside as if he owned the place, Tweek on his heels. He felt a nostalgia wash over him. He hadn't been here since...well...since he left several years ago. Even after he promised Clyde a few months back that he'd make occasional visits. The two boys made their way to the throne room, but the brunette was nowhere to be found. Craig looked around until he spotted a nearby guard.

"Where is the Dark Lord?" The guard seemed to eye him suspiciously before recognition spread across their face.

"Great Thief Feldspar!" He bowed. Craig cocked an eyebrow at him. "Apologies for my inept greeting, if only I'd known it was you! Dark Lord Clyde is on the lookout balcony." He answered with an over-enthusiasm he wasn't used to. Craig side-eyed him as he gave him an odd look before nodding.

"Thaaanks..." He muttered before heading up. Despite all the years away, all the years he'd spent here came rushing back, and he knew the layout like the back of his hand. Every staircase, every corridor, every room, every level. He traversed the castle until he came to a ladder that lead up to a metal hatch above. He motioned for Tweek to follow before climbing up and opening the hatch, hoisting himself onto the balcony. Once he helped Tweek up, he saw a familiar figure leaning on the railings with his arms as he looked out at everything before him. "Clyde." The brunette suddenly stiffened as he stood up straight. He whipped around to face the two, and words couldn't describe the happiness that expressed itself on his face.

"Craig!" He smiled, walking up and wrapping his arms tightly around the thief. Craig rolled his eyes but smiled as well as he hugged him in return.

"Good to see you too, Clyde." He said as the brown-haired boy separated from him.

"You didn't keep your promise. You said you'd visit."

"I was busy."

"More like getting busy." He snickered as he elbowed Craig and looked at Tweek, who just stood there, confused. Craig scoffed and smacked his arm.

"No, we were building a cabin for us to live in the past month, and the month before that, we were planning it. So, fuck off."

"Right." He then looked back at Tweek, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You. Have you been taking care of my dear thief?" He asked as he moved his other arm around Craig's shoulders, pulling him close. Tweek chuckled softly.

"Naturally."

"Good." He looked back at Craig. "He looks well-fed and healthy. Keep it that way." Again, Craig scoffed and brushed Clyde away.

"Look, Clyde, it's nice to see you again, but I'm sure you didn't send an urgent summons so we could play catch-up." Clyde's expression seemed to immediately drop.

"Right..._that_." He sighed as he looked back out at the kingdom, his entire demeanor having shifted. "Some...disturbing things have been happening recently." Craig walked up next to him, and Tweek moved up behind.

"What kind of things?" Craig asked. Clyde gave him a solemn look.

"Come, we'll talk in my study."

~o~O~o~

"Right..." Clyde began as he sat down in a lounge chair, motioning for the other two to take a seat across from him. "So...not all has been well...as you could have guessed..."

"Spit it out, Clyde."

"Snippy as ever, Craig. Okay, so...basically...after we won the war and banished the Grand Wizard from time and space, some weren't pleased. It seems that he had some fairly resilient, loyal followers."

"You mean to say that not everyone took the transition to being under Princess Kenny's rule instead quite well."

"Exactly. Anyway, these...loyal followers of that fat tyrant have been plotting against one or all of these three kingdoms. We don't know what, but we received intel that they're located somewhere out in the Lost Forest. But that's all we know."

"And why, exactly, does this involve me?"

"A few of my men have gone out looking for them. This was days ago. None of them returned. We sought help from the Elf kingdom, but their party never returned either." Tweek and Craig both shared a nervous glance.

"I, uh...we may...have run across both parties. At least...some of them." Clyde snapped his gaze to Craig, eyes wide.

"_What_?"

"Just today, a single Elf came by our cabin, an arrow in his back. He dropped dead shortly after we spotted him. And three more bodies floating down the river. Two humans, and another Elf. I thought the humans looked familiar, but none of them were wearing traditional gear from their factions."

"Yes, we sent them in to blend in, not stand out."

"Right, well, it didn't work."

"Christ..." Clyde muttered as he looked away in contemplation, putting his elbow on the armrest of his chair and holding his chin in his hand.

"So, why summon me? What do I have to do with any of this?" Craig asked. Clyde, not moving from his position, flickered his gaze back to Craig.

"Craig..." He began as he finally leaned back in his chair. "...you are undoubtedly the best of the best when it comes to thievery, which means you are stealthy. You can get into places undetected." Tweek scoffed at this.

"Not when he was caught red-handed by the barbarians." He snickered.

"Shut it." Craig snapped playfully before turning his full attention to Clyde once more.

"As I was saying..." The brunette continued. "...you're the best there is. And instead of a party, it would just be you, and maybe Tweek if you trust his skill."

"I do."

"Right. Then, I have a proposition for you. I know you don't work for me anymore, but will you do this one job for me? I won't ask you of anything again, but right now, I'm desperate. All I'm asking is you sneak into wherever they are and spy. That's it. No fighting, no bloodshed. Just...see if you can find out what they're planning." Craig sat and thought for a moment. He ignored Tweek shaking his head at him with a pleading expression in his peripherals. After several long moments of silence, he looked up.

"Yeah, okay." He said simply.

"Craig, it's too dangerous." Tweek suddenly whined softly. "You don't know what you're up against." Craig reached over and grabbed Tweek's hand comfortingly.

"Tweek, it's just some ragtag delinquents who followed some fat fuck too religiously."

"Yeah, some ragtag delinquents who took down a party of humans and Elves." Tweek whimpered. Craig moved his hand to his cheek.

"Yes, but they have no idea the forces they reckon with when we get involved. A couple of trained killers like us? They won't stand a chance." Craig reassured him with a smile. Tweek remained unconvinced.

"You're really doing this...?" He asked softly.

"I am. I owe Clyde for rescuing me. And he's my friend."

"And I'm your partner."

"Tweek...I'm doing it, whether you're with me or not." Craig stroked his hand down Tweek's cheek, but the blonde simply smacked his hand away. He then stood abruptly and walked up to Clyde, eyes narrowed. His voice came out almost as a snarl.

"If anything..._anything_...happens to him, I'm coming after _you_." He growled before storming out of the room and slamming the door. Craig sighed.

"He means well." He said with an apologetic tone.

"I am aware. Emotional, isn't he?"

"As if you aren't, crybaby." Craig said with a small smirk. Clyde returned the smirk and scoffed.

"Snippy as ever. I miss this, Craig. I miss us. _We_ used to be the unstoppable duo."

"Jealous of Tweek?" Craig asked jokingly.

"No. Just...I miss having you around. Even the fights. Namecalling. I miss it all." Clyde lamented. Craig leaned back into his chair with a sigh.

"Yes, well...we know things can never go back to how they were. No one wanted me here. Except you, that is. And now...I'm building a life with Tweek."

"Right." Clyde said in a clearly disappointed tone. Craig nodded slowly before casting a questioning look at Clyde.

"Oh, I forgot to ask...what's with the warm welcome I got from one of the guards?"

"Oh!" Clyde suddenly chuckled, his demeanor changed. "Even though you said not to, I made it a law that everyone must respect you and treat you as one of our own, and they can only address you as 'Great Thief Feldspar,' should they address you at all." Craig smiled widely and shook his head, running a hand down his face.

"Gracious, you _would_ do that. That explains so much." He chuckled. The two then fell into a comfortable silence before Clyde broke it.

"I think you should go check on loverboy."

"Yeah, probably." Craig relented as he bit his knuckle. Clyde stood and helped Craig up before pulling him into a tight hug.

"Safe travels, brother. And thank you for doing this for me. You're doing me a great service."

"Anything for an old friend." Craig said as they separated. He turned to leave, but as he opened the door, Clyde spoke.

"And Craig?"

"Yes?" He asked, looking back.

"...Please don't die."


	4. The Camp

The ride home was silent, and uncomfortably so. As the horse walked along the dirt road, Craig sat behind Tweek, and not a word was shared between the two. Tweek kept his eyes straight ahead, and Craig stared off to the side awkwardly, casting glances to the back of his head every now and then. He wanted to say something..._anything_...to break the silence, but he couldn't find the words, so he simply sighed and lied against Tweek's back, his head pressed into the back of his neck.

Nothing.

~o~O~o~

When they got home, Tweek hopped off and tied the horse to her post before walking inside. This distant behavior was very unlike him. Even when he was upset. He usually got _clingier_ when he was upset. Craig furrowed his brows and dismounted the animal clumsily, nearly falling on his backside in the process. He was getting better at that, he swore. He walked inside just in time to see Tweek disappear into the bedroom. He contemplated whether or not he should follow him and see what was wrong or give him alone time. He wasn't great at picking up on those kinds of signals, and Tweek was especially hard to read because his emotions were typically in several places at once. Craig shook his head, following him. Now, normally, someone would approach the situation with tact, but again...that was something a normal person would do.

"Hey, what's your deal?" Craig demanded as he walked in to see Tweek sitting on the edge of the bed. The blonde boy snapped his attention to Craig with a glare.

"What's _your_ deal?" He countered.

"I'm not the one acting weird." Craig scoffed as he crossed his arms and leaned on the door frame. They held each other's glares for several moments, almost as if having a nonverbal debate, before Tweek's expression visibly softened as he looked down at the wood floor. He sighed.

"Craig...when we made this place...I thought we were finally going to have the life we always talked about. Where it's just...us, and no one else. We'd go on adventures..._our_ adventures...and we'd spend every day...having fun...doing what we want to do...loving each other...and looking out for one another...and...actually have a domestic life." He muttered before looking back up at Craig.

"And what's stopping us from doing that?" The boy asked, raising an eyebrow at him. He thought it ironic that the Barbarian would be the one to crave a domestic life, but it was what they agreed on nearly a month ago, and he hadn't questioned it. He just wanted them to be happy.

"You! Taking this...this job!" Tweek growled, but his eyes were sad. "You...miss your old life, don't you? Being a thief? Working for Clyde? Doing dangerous missions..." Tweek shuddered.

"Tweek, are you serious? I'm not doing this for nostalgia's sake! It's simply a favor for an old friend."

"A favor would be you doing something nice for Clyde, not risking your life for him!"

"I'm indebted to him."

"So? He can find someone else, and you can repay your debt another way!" Tweek cried in exasperation before taking a deep breath. Craig sighed and walked over, sitting next to Tweek and giving him a sad look.

"Tweek...you seem almost sure something will happen...I thought you would have more faith in my abilities."

"I do! Just..." Tweek turned his head away and wiped something from his face. Craig grabbed his shoulder and turned him towards him, seeing tears pricking the corners of his eyes.

"Just...what?"

"Just...I don't want you risking your life anymore...Right after we finish building everything together and are ready to settle down, you jump into this dangerous mission, and..." Tweek stopped himself and sighed, shifting his gaze to Craig before leaning forward to press a kiss against his lips. "...and I just want you to live long enough for me to one day call you my husband..." He muttered, his eyes as serious as could be with twinges of sadness laced through them. Craig's eyes widened.

"Tweek..."

"Promise me you'll live." Tweek urged, putting a hand to Craig's cheek. The thief's hard expression gave way to softness as he gazed at Tweek warmly, pressing his forehead against his.

"I promise..."

~o~O~o~

The trip to the Lost Forest didn't take long as they lived but a few miles away, especially on horseback. Craig sat in front and Tweek was sleeping against his back, his arms wrapped loosely around his torso. As they neared the forest, Craig sighed and moved a hand to one of Tweek's arms, shaking it gently.

"We're here." He said, looking back at him. Tweek mumbled something before yawning and stretching against Craig, trying to wake himself up. The blonde sighed softly and pulled himself upright, looking around.

"Right..." He muttered, still half asleep. He lethargically slid off of the horse's back and aided Craig in his descent before the black-haired boy grabbed her by the reigns and lead her to a spot with heavy shrubbery, hoping it would be enough to hide her.

"Don't want anyone finding her and taking off." Craig said, looking over at the other boy. Tweek simply nodded sleepily, rubbing his eyes. Craig tied the horse off before walking over and grabbing Tweek's hand. "Come on."

As they made their way through the trees, they listened for any sign of life other than themselves. The Lost Forest was an eerie place that was rather quiet, and one could easily find themselves walking in circles if they didn't pay close enough attention. That's how the forest got its name. So what would a bunch of people be doing in the middle of it? And with the size of the forest, it could take forever. Days...weeks, even. He figured they had enough rations to last the two of th-

"-can't be too careful. We have to proceed with caution." Craig stopped in his tracks and ducked down, pulling Tweek with him. No, it _couldn't_ be. Not so soon. Stalking forward ever so slowly, he peered through some bushes to see a makeshift encampment just ahead. There had to be about ten people milling about in the small clearing. Some were drawing things out on paper and discussing, others were setting up more tents, and the rest were sitting on crates, casually talking on the side. Wow, he had expected them to hide more elusively. Maybe these people weren't as bright as he anticipated. He strained to listen in on them.

"And what about what they promised? Do you think they'll really deliver on their end of the bargain?"

"Snakes in the grass, that's what they are!"

"Keep your voice down."

"How can we trust them?"

"We just have to have faith they'll hold up their end. What more can we do? We're sitting ducks out here."

Craig slowly made his way around the outer edge of the clearing so everyone else would be in earshot, Tweek nearly pressed against him the entire time.

"If this does pan out, the other kingdoms won't stand a chance. They'll pay for their betrayal and what they did to the Wizard King."

"Will it be enough?"

"Have you seen his army? Even without, the man is intimidating enough on his own. He'd make Kyle wet himself."

"Well, Kyle isn't quite known for his _nerves_ of _steel_."

"Forget about _him_, what of his rabid servant? He says one word, and that boy is on you like a dog on a piece of meat. I _saw_ it."

"What did he do?"

"One of our men merely spoke out of line by interrupting him, and the next thing I knew, he was on the ground getting ravaged by this dark-haired mongrel of a man. Not one of us were able to get near enough to even _attempt_ to help until his master called him off."

"Like a damn trained attack dog."

"Who are they talking about...?" Craig suddenly heard Tweek whisper next to him, causing him to jump slightly. He'd forgotten the blonde was even accompanying him. Craig put a finger to his lips to remind him to be quiet before shrugging in response to the question. Tweek nodded and peeked back through the bushes.

"Luckily, we managed to strike the deal despite that. It was hard convincing him, but we prevailed."

"And when, exactly, are they supposed to help us out, hm? We've been milling about out here for a goddamn week! He'd better lift his dainty little hand and send some help our way!"

Craig narrowed his eyes. No matter how much they talked, nothing was making sense, and he didn't want to be here longer than he had to. Tweek watched as Craig's brows furrowed in thought.

"What are you planning?" Tweek whispered, knowing that look. Craig stayed silent and concentrated for a moment, looking back out at the group of people.

"Follow me." He finally muttered, his hand reaching for his knife.

"Clyde said no bloodshed. We'll raise suspicion if something happens to one of them."

"Who cares? We need information, and we're getting nowhere by sitting around, trying to piece what they're saying together. Now, come on." He said, rounding more of the clearing until he came near to one lone individual who was setting up a tent for himself. Making sure no one was nearby, Craig slowly slunk forward, using the cover of the half-erected tent to shield himself from view. As he came up behind the man, he quickly wrapped an arm around his neck and, before he could make a peep or alert anyone, Craig pressed the tip of his blade against his back harshly, nearly cutting into him so he didn't think he was messing around. "Come quietly, or you die." Craig hissed in his ear. The man let out a whimper, but nothing more as Craig slowly walked backwards into the cover of the trees once more.


	5. Not As Planned

"Tell us what you know, asshole."

"Fuck you." The man growled as he tried to lurch from his bindings that held his arms behind his back and his legs together. They had him sitting against a tree as Tweek and Craig stood over him.

"Not a good answer." Craig sneered.

"I'm not telling you _shit_. You're Feldspar, aren't you? The thief that overthrew the king? Your time is coming! Your time is-" He stopped and sputtered as Craig kicked him in the gut.

"You're hardly in a position to be making threats. I may be a thief by profession, but on the side? I was Clyde's interrogator. And by interrogator, I mean the one who could torture someone until they spilled their guts...literally and figuratively." This caused Tweek to side-eye him with raised eyebrows. Craig had never...mentioned that before. He watched as the thief knelt down in front of the man, holding his knife several inches from his face. "And I know how to make canaries like you _sing_..." The man visibly gulped, but he kept his angered expression.

"You don't have the guts,_ boy_."

"Oh, no?" Craig asked as he pulled his knife away and stood. "Well, I suppose we'll have to test that theory if you don't tell me what I want to know. I was sent on a mission to spy on you, but I'd much rather have this over and done with as soon as possible, so you'd better start singing, canary. Who were they talking about when they were saying they struck a deal with someone? Some big wig?" He asked.

"For the last time, I'm not telling you." Craig suddenly stomped down on the man's knee, bending it awkwardly down, causing him to let out a yell.

"Try again."

"Y-you'll have to kill me." The man countered. Craig smirked and knelt down until he was eye-level with him.

"I wouldn't let you off that easy." Craig's smirk turned to a serious frown as he suddenly drove his knife into the man's leg, just above his knee.

"Agh, fuck!" He screamed. Tweek was starting to feel a bit disturbed. Torture was nothing new to him. Barbarians, in fact, had much worse, slow means of torture, but what disturbed him was the seeming satisfaction that Craig seemed to show in what he was doing. He rubbed his arm uncomfortably as he watched.

"I'd leave you wounded like a helpless animal for the dire wolves. Now..." He jerked the knife slightly, causing the man to let out another yell. "...tell me what I want to know, or else I'll pop your knee off."

"Okay, okay! Fuck, for a kid, you're psychotic!"

"_I'm waiting_. Who were they talking about?"

"A-alright. Okay. A w-week ago, we sought out the h-help of an outside kingdom. One far from the ones you know."

"Yes?"

"Yes. It's r-ruled by a cold, cruel man who likes to be referred to as a prince instead of a king. D-don't ask me why. He has a servant who he treats like a pet, and will attack you if given the word like some kind of...of _animal_!"

"Just cut to the chase, I don't have all day!" Craig jerked the knife again.

"A-ah, okay! He lives off in the mountains, a big gold and white castle!"

"And his name?"

"P-prince G-" That was all he managed to stutter out before an arrow suddenly flew past their heads and straight into his throat. His eyes shot open wide as he sputtered and choked on his own blood as it seeped from the wound and his mouth. Tweek and Craig jumped back, looking around. Out of the corner of his eye, Tweek spotted something moving in one of the trees.

"There!" He shouted, pointing. As he did, the leaves rusted as a dark figure jumped from one tree to another gracefully, fleeing the scene through the treetops. Instinctively, Tweek reached for his bow and an arrow, aiming it at the figure and firing, but missed. He shot off two more, but the figure moved too quickly. "Come on!" Tweek ordered as he started running. Craig took a glance back at the man, who was already slumped to the side, dead, blood pooling from his mouth. Craig grimaced before turning and giving chase as well. As they ran through the forest, they were on the figure's tail, Tweek pulling back an arrow and shooting it whenever an opportunity presented itself, but he couldn't land a single one. "Get back here!" No matter how close they got, they were never close enough to get a clear look at the figure. As they ran, they were so busy looking up that, when the trees suddenly opened up to a cliff ledge, Tweek couldn't stop in time.

"Tweek!" Craig gasped as he suddenly lashed out a hand and grabbed his arm, forcefully yanked him back from going over the edge, causing the two to fall backwards as the blonde landed on top of him. His eyes were wide as he panted, looking down at Craig.

"I...almost..._died_!" He panted between each word. Craig patted Tweek's arm comfortingly as he lied there, panting as well from the chase. Once Tweek had calmed down, he pushed himself off of Craig and looked around quickly, as if having just remembered why they'd been running in the first place. "Fuck. They're gone..." He muttered. Craig stood with a grunt.

"Who the fuck was that, anyway?" He asked.

"I wish I could say. Couldn't even see them clearly. Whoever it was, they obviously didn't want that guy to spill anything."

"Well...at least we got _some_ information." Craig commented with a sigh.

"I guess." Tweek replied, grasping the other boy's hand. "Should we go back to the camp and see what else we can gather, or do we head back?"

"I don't want to risk them being on high alert after one of them went missing. Not only that, I feel so..._exposed_...having been taken by surprise like that. I feel..._watched_."

"So back to Clyde's?"

"Back to Clyde's." Craig repeated as they began walking back to where they left the horse.

As they came to where they'd left her, they found she wasn't alone.

"Hey!" Craig yelled as two people sat atop the horse's back and another was untying her. The three panicked as Craig rushed at the one, pulling his knife on him and stabbing him in the gut before he had time to react. The two on the horse tried jumping off to make a run for it, but Tweek shot one before he could even dismount, and he shot the other in the back as he attempted to flee. The blonde shook his head with a growl.

"What the _hell_?" He wondered, walking over and untying the mare.

"I don't know, let's just...get out of here. This is a bad area to be in, it seems." Craig hopped on the horse, and for once managed to get on on his own with a bit of a struggle. Tweek hopped on behind him and they were off.

As they went along, Tweek stole an uncomfortable glance to the side.

"Hey...Craig...?"

"Yeah?"

"Um...what you said to that man...about torturing..."

"Oh, that? Tch, that was a load of bullshit. A scare tactic I learned." Craig chuckled. Tweek's eyes seemed to brighten a bit as he looked back at Craig.

"Wh-what? Really?"

"Yep."

"So what was with that...face you were making? Like you were really...enjoying the things you were talking about."

"What, have you never seen someone act before?" Craig scoffed.

"Well, you were really convincing. Fooled me." Tweek smiled.

"Or maybe you're just gullible." He chuckled. Tweek punched his arm. "Ah, okay, sorry!"

~o~O~o~

"Clyde." Craig greeted as he and Tweek walked into the throne room to see the aforementioned brunette sitting in his throne, conversing with a guard. He held a hand up to the guard, and they nodded and walked away. Clyde turned his gaze to the two.

"You're alive." He smiled. "It had been three days, I thought something happened."

"We ran into some...tribulations along the way but we're here."

"And did you collect any information?"

"Some."

"We interrogated one of them." Tweek added in. Clyde's eyebrows furrowed.

"You were supposed to keep quiet and be stealthy about this." He frowned.

"I don't think that matters, as I can assure you that the group we found are of little threat. They sought outside help. It's likely you and Kyle's people were killed by this..._new_ threat. The group of stragglers are less than capable of taking down two parties. There are ten of them at most."

"Well, nine, now." Tweek cut in again.

"Yes, as we were interrogating the one, some...mysterious individual from the trees shot him through the throat just as he was going to reveal this new threat's name."

"This is why you should've made your presence as discreet as possible!" Clyde growled. "Imagine the information you could have gathered. You're my friend, and I hate to get angry, _especially_ at you, but _christ_...I have a kingdom that looks to me for protection, and how can I protect them from an unseen enemy?"

"I understand your frustration, Clyde, but we gathered enough to at least formulate some kind of plan." Craig shot back. Tweek nodded and stepped forward.

"We learned that there's another kingdom in the mountains that none of us really knew of before. It's run by a king that calls himself a prince. He's intimidating, he has a decent army, and some kind of...servant that he uses like...an attack dog?" Tweek cocked an eyebrow as he spoke, sounding less and less sure of what he was saying. Not because he thought he might have the information wrong, but more because..._what the actual fuck is up with this guy_. He shook his head from the excess thoughts. "But it seems they're planning some kind of assault, because they said the other kingdoms won't stand a chance. And as I previously stated, you can check the mountains to see if you can find anything. It's apparently a big gold and white castle. A kingdom like that amongst a bunch of rock will surely be easy to spot." As Tweek spoke, Clyde held his chin as he nodded in consideration at all of the information being presented to him.

"Mh. That's..._interesting_, to say the least. Right. I suppose that information will suffice for now." Clyde said as he stood and walked up to them. "Though you failed to follow my instruction...you both did well. And, frankly, I'm just glad nothing bad happened to either of you. I'm glad to know this group of individuals were just a small part of something bigger, so we can stop wasting resources trying to smoke them out and instead cut off the head of the snake, so to speak. I'll gather all three kingdoms to plan a collective assault." He put a hand on Tweek and Craig's shoulder with a smirk. "We'll hit them where it hurts."


	6. Change of Plans

_Not on my watch._

She pulled back the arrow and let go, watching as it sailed through the air and pierced the man through the throat. She smiled to herself with satisfaction as she jumped to the next branch over. Hearing them exclaim as they spotted her, she quickly began making her way from branch to branch, trying to keep to the bases of the larger ones to help support her weight. She could hear they weren't far behind.

_Good._

She needed them to follow her. She had to take care of the main problem. What she hadn't foreseen, however, was that one of them was an excellent archer, as she kept having close calls with arrows flying past her. She grunted as she felt one of them skim her shirt, leaving a small tear in its wake.

_Come on, almost there._

She went as quickly as she could while still trying to maintain a speed they could follow. Then, finally, she saw past the leaves. An opening. Narrowing her eyes, she went until she could go no farther, running into a steep cliff ledge. Hanging onto her current branch, she swung herself to the ground instantaneously, staying hidden behind some trees as she watched the two idiots nearly run themselves over the edge. If only the thief hadn't acted so quickly.

_Damn it._

She grumbled as she moved backwards on her branch. She was all out of arrows. Her last one had been used to silence that fucker. That's why she resigned herself to having themselves run off the cliff, but even that hadn't worked. And she wouldn't be able to take on both in hand-to-hand combat. She dropped to the ground, allowing herself one more glance back before taking off.

_He isn't going to like this..._

She ran through the forest, not stopping until she came to an open field. Putting her fingers to her mouth, she let out a trill that followed a specific set of notes. No sooner had she done so did a black and white appaloosa come galloping from the underbrush. It ran by her, and as it did, she hopped on with much rehearsed skill, and they raced towards the mountains in the distance.

~o~O~o~

The horse slowed to a canter, then to a trot as they neared the gold and white palace, traversing the twisting, weathered path that lead up to its gates. Once close enough, she pulled back on the reigns, and the horse slowed to a stop. She patted its neck before sliding off and walking up to the entrance. The guards moved aside for her, the sun glinting off their white armor that was lined with gold trims, much like the castle. She walked forward, into the throne room, where she saw a young man sitting atop the throne, looking no older than 17, while another young man of the same age sat on the floor next to the throne who held a constant look of displeasure. He eyed her carefully, his green eyes seeming to bore into her soul as she approached.

"My prince." He greeted. The man on the throne gave her a bored look.

"Ah, Red." He greeted in return. He spoke in a very pretentious way. Even by speaking a simple sentence of few words on any subject, you'd think he were talking down to you. "Have you taken care of the nuisances?"

"I've not, as my attempt was in vain. I did, however, have to kill one of the idiot rebels to keep him from running his mouth about us to them."

"I see. How unfortunate." He spoke disinterestedly with a sigh.

"I still don't see the point in doing as these rebels say. They're incompetent, spineless, and don't serve any purpose."

"Are you questioning my choices?" He replied, his eyes narrowed. The brunette boy that sat on the ground visibly tensed as he stared her down intensely. She knew that all he needed was a single gesture or command. She quickly shook her head.

"N-no, I merely...I'm just wondering why...we keep them around. We can go about our plan without them."

"I'll go against my better judgement and simply _pretend_ you aren't questioning me. The rebels are merely pawns in their own fight. They came to us thinking we'd help _out of the goodness of our hearts_." He spoke. The boy on the ground simply let out a scoff before the prince continued. "The reality is far from what they realize, however. I'm only using them for the knowledge they have on the three kingdoms. As we know nothing of them, sending even a full army to go against three kingdoms at once is foolish. Once we have the information we need, we'll kill them. Then, we'll take over the other three kingdoms." He smirked, his perfectly aligned, pearly white teeth showing. "And then _I_ will reign _supreme_."

"Yes, my prince. You surely will. I apologize for my impertinent thinking and behavior."

"Excused, but don't let it happen again, Red. Otherwise, you'll answer to him next time." He shifted his hand lazily to gesture at the boy on the ground, who let out a soft growl. Red took an instinctive step back.

"R-right, of course. Y-you know best after all, my prince." She said as she lowered her head submissively.

"Good. I'd hate for something to happen to my best ranger." He commented before furrowing his brows at her. "But since you failed to eliminate the thorns in my side as I'd asked, I have a new mission for you. I should even thank you for failing, as I have a new purpose for them other than mounting their heads on a pike for decoration."

"What will you have me do, my prince?"

"I'd like you to capture them. Bring them here. I have a proposition for them. Understand?" He asked, placing his elbow on the arm of his throne as he lied his head in his hand. Red nodded.

"Good." He said, waving his free hand dismissively at her. "Now, run along, I have..._business_ to attend to." He said as he sat up. The boy sitting on the ground perked up slightly as he said this. As the prince stood, he motioned at the boy. "Come along, pet." He ordered, walking away. The brunette stood dutifully and followed close behind. Red sighed as she turned back around, heading for the entryway.

_This is going to be a long day._


	7. Not Quite Over

It was early in the day as Craig sat by the river that ran not far from their home. It was the same one the bodies had been floating down, but there hadn't been any since that day, thankfully, so he found the nerve to return. He liked to sit by it and just...listen. He thanked the stars that the mission Clyde had given him was over, and now everything was out of his hands. He didn't have to deal with any more political or tactical bullshit. Clyde had promised as much. So, he was spending his day relaxing. It was calm. That is, until he heard Tweek exclaim as he stabbed his spear through the water, skewering a large fish in the process. He held it up triumphantly.

"Got it!" He smiled. Craig opened an eye and glanced at him.

"Wonderful." He said with a half-smile, closing his eye again. Tweek sauntered up to him, the water slowing his movements, before climbing up onto the bank and sitting next to Craig.

"So, now that we have dinner for later, what do you feel like doing today?" The blonde asked.

"Whatever you want."

"Oh, come on, there's gotta be _something_ you wanna do." He whined playfully, setting the spear down and leaning back as he lied his head on Craig's lap. The raven-haired boy finally opened his eyes and smiled down at him, bringing a hand up to ruffle his hair.

"More like some_one_." He smirked. Tweek's face went red.

"_Craig_!" He exclaimed, turning his head to hide his face in Craig's shirt. Craig laughed. No matter how long they've been together, Tweek was still bashful when it came to suggestive jokes and talk, and he found it not only hilarious, but adorable, so he capitalized on that when he could. The boy chuckled as he leaned down and kissed the side of Tweek's head.

"Calm down, I'm joking. You know I love messing with you." Tweek simply mumbled an incoherent complaint into Craig's shirt. The thief smirked playfully, tracing his fingers through the boy's blonde hair. After several moments, Tweek finally showed his face, his blush having receded. He nuzzled his head into Craig's torso.

"You're terrible."

"You know you love it." Craig chuckled.

"...Whatever." Tweek pouted. He relaxed with a deep sigh as he stared past Craig's face, up at the sky. It was a beautiful day. The sky was bright with not a cloud in it. The sun was beating down, but the air was a bit chilly with the onset of fall. Overall, it was a perfect day. The blonde closed his eyes. What could be better than being outside, enjoying the day while lying against the love of his life while having his hair stroked? Because of this, he'd begun to doze off.

"Don't fall asleep now." Craig's voice cut through the silence as he gently patted Tweek's cheek. "We have to get the fish home before it spoils." He sighed. He didn't really want to move either. Tweek whined softly in protest but nodded as he slowly sat up. He grabbed the spear that still had the fish skewered on the end and stood, helping Craig up in the process. The blonde grabbed ahold of the other boy's hand, and they began walking.

~o~O~o~

"Goddamn it!" Craig scowled as he wiped a spot of blood from his mouth. He glared up at Tweek from where he'd fallen on his backside. He was currently doing some practice sparring with the blonde.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. It's not my fault you're a terrible fighter." Tweek smirked as he stretched out a hand to help the other boy up. Craig just smacked it away and stood on his own.

"Jerk." He commented simply, and after a second of collecting himself, he struck out at Tweek with a left hook as suddenly as he could to take him by surprise. Tweek, unfortunately, saw it coming as he blocked him with an arm and hooked Craig right in the gut with his other hand.

"Nice try." He smiled as Craig stumbled back.

"You're the absolute worst."

"I know." Tweek giggled. Craig shook his head.

"How can you be so short but so much stronger? I don't understand."

"Okay, first of all, I'm just a couple inches shorter than you. Second of all, 'barbarian' ring a bell? We're all naturally sturdy." He said proudly.

"Right..." Craig sighed before pointing at him in warning. "...but one of these days, I _will_ kick your ass." He smirked.

"I hope so! I'm tired of winning all the time." Tweek snickered.

"Oh, you are _really_ asking for it, boy." Craig scoffed as he walked towards Tweek assertively. Tweek stepped back with a giggle, raising his hands defensively.

"And what, exactly, am I asking for, _boy_?" He stiffened as he felt the wall of the cabin hit his back, causing Craig to smirk.

"This-" He playfully pinned Tweek to the wall and leaned in all in one movement, kissing him deeply. Tweek let out a muffle of surprise before allowing his eyes to go half-lidded as he kissed back. He moved his hands to Craig's sides, gripping them lightly. After a moment, Tweek turned his head to separate from the kiss with a smile, looking back to the black-haired boy dreamily.

"I love you."

"Mhm..." Craig replied with a similar expression. Tweek frowned slightly. He wanted to be understanding, but with every day, it bugged him more and more.

"Hey, Craig?"

"Yes?"

"How come...you never say 'I love you' back?" He asked. He knew it was because Craig wasn't the best at conveying his feelings verbally, and preferred to do so through physical gestures, but he wanted to hear the boy's reasoning from his own mouth. He began to regret asking, though, when Craig frowned.

"_What_?"

"Uh, it's just...it'd be nice to hear it...every once in a while, you know?"

"I don't get it...Do I not show you enough..._love_ or something?" He asked, sounding almost offended.

"No, no, you do! I just...it's...it's nothing Craig, just forget it."

"No, come on, tell me. Is it really that important? Just some words with a made up meaning?"

"No, Craig, you show me enough affection and do so much for me to know that you _do_ love me, but I'm just saying...it would be _nice_ for you to say it back once in a while...Just saying..." He repeated softly, shrugging. Craig looked to the side with a sigh before leaning forward and kissing Tweek again as he moved his hands to rest on the boy's shoulders.

"I'm sorry. I wish I knew it meant that much t-" Craig's words were cut off as he jolted where he stood, his grip on Tweek's shoulders tightening. The blonde's eyes widened as he tried to decipher the expression on his face. Then, Craig was on the ground. As he lied there, an arrow could be seen protruding from the left side of his lower back.

"Craig!" Tweek gasped as he quickly knelt down to him, his hand hovering over the arrow, but he knew he shouldn't take it out. He could see that Craig was still breathing, but he was out cold, blood seeping from his wound. How had he dropped so quickly from an arrow wound like this? Speaking of...

Tweek snapped his head up and looked around, his brows furrowing. Whoever was out there had something serious coming to them. But before he could even stand, it seemed almost instantaneous that he saw an arrow fly from the treetops and pierce him right in the shoulder. He yelped and instinctively grabbed it, yanking it out with a pained hiss. Then, almost instantly, his vision started to swim. He stood up quickly, too quickly, and his dizziness duplicated. He stumbled for a moment, then fell on his side. He was still aware as he lied there, but he couldn't move. He just groaned out a poor excuse for Craig's name as he blearily saw him lying just a few feet away. And the last thing he saw before blacking out was a pair of black boots sauntering towards them.

"Idiots..."


	8. Bonus Chapter

**This chapter was made for my son, who wanted his OC, Anessa, to have a cameo in the story, and because we highkey ship Red and Anessa on the side, this chapter came to ****fruition.**

* * *

Red sighed.

She probably should've brought something to carry them in. But that wouldn't have been very stealthy. She regretted it now, however, as she dragged the two boys each by a hand, the rest of their bodies dragging along the dirt road. Without the benefits and promise of prosperity working under the prince, she'd have said 'fuck it' a long time ago.

_And she was only halfway to the castle._

She'd have brought her trusty horse that took her back last time if it weren't for the fact that he didn't let _anyone_ get on his back except her. So if she tried to load the two boys on his back, he'd probably freak out and kill them. And the prince wanted them alive. _Stupid horse_. So, here she was, alone, resigned to dragging two boys unceremoniously along the ground behind her, and even the intense training she received to get to where she was today didn't help. _She didn't get paid enough for this._

It was a good thing they'd be out for a while.

_"It's good to see ya again, Red."_ The red-haired ranger turned her head to see another girl leaning on her arms over a nearby fence that separated the road from a field littered with grazing cattle.

"Anessa." Red smiled, her gaze softening as she simply dropped the boys' limp arms. She walked over to the blonde farm girl.

"It's been a while. Still workin' for that pompous prick?"

"I know, I'm sorry." Red sighed, then rolled her eyes. "And yes, I am."

"Is that why you're draggin' them boys around?" She asked, eyebrow cocked.

"Mhm. Boss' orders." Red replied casually, shrugging. "Don't know what he wants them for. Says he's gonna _make a proposal for them_ or some stupid shit like that."

"Sounds like a bother."

"It is. I can't get a break. The second I finish one mission, it's off to another. And if I fail terribly enough-" She motioned her thumb across her throat. Anessa winced ever so slightly.

"Well, you best not fail then. 'Cause I wanna still see you." Red blushed lightly and smiled, looking back to the girl as Anessa slid herself through the gap between the two planks of wood that made up the fence, moving to Red's side.

"Yeah...I'm sorry again for not visiting more often. He has my hands tied." The redhead said as she stood straight up and faced the other.

"I know. I understand." The blonde smiled and brushed Red's bangs from her eyes. "It is a shame, though. I always look forward to seein' your pretty face." Red chuckled and shook her head.

"Oh, shut it." She smiled, looking back at her before leaning up and placing a quick kiss on her lips. Anessa sighed, a mix of disappointment and delight on her face, like she was in bliss from the kiss but also wished it could've lasted far longer. But she knew Red had a job to do, and there would be consequences should she be too tardy.

"So, which one you want me to carry?"

"Wh-what?" Red asked, blinking in surprise as she watched the girl walk over to the two boys.

"You were clearly havin' trouble, an' I work on a farm, so carryin' one of 'em won't be too hard. Plus, I wanna spend more time with ya."

"Anessa, they'll kill you if you get too close to the castle. They don't let anyone that doesn't have clearance anywhere near it."

"An' that's why I'll split once we get close enough. Do ya not wanna spend time with your lovin' wife?" The blonde smirked, one of her eyebrows raising.

"I-...ugh..." Red placed a hand to her own forehead before dragging it down her face. "Yeah, okay, fine. But _you have to go once we get close enough._"

"Yes, ma'am." Anessa smiled before pointing to both boys. "So, then, which one?"

"The blonde, I guess. He's smaller, but for some reason, _heavier_. Probably because he's got that Barbarian build or something."

"Muscle_ does_ weigh more than fat." Anessa smirked as she patted one of her biceps. "I should know."

"Yeah, yeah, just grab him." Red hissed, but a smile could be seen on her face regardless. Anessa grabbed the blonde and slung him over her shoulder while Red put one hand under Craig's back and the other under his knees and lifted him bridal style. He was thin and didn't have a lot of muscle on him, so he was pretty light, though Red still grunted as she carried him. Anessa, however, seemed to have little problem with Tweek.

~o~O~o~

After a while of talking and catching up with each other, Red spotted the castle in the distance and sighed, looking over to Anessa.

"Get ready to split, cowgirl. The guards might see you."

"We still got a ways yet, don't worry."

"_I worry_. I don't want you to get killed after finally seeing you again after...what...three months?"

"Five..." Anessa frowned, looking towards the ground. "...and a half." Red sighed.

"Sorry, Anessa. I'll...I'll try to visit more, but Gr-"

"I know, I know, it's okay. I know what a tight-ass he is."

"Pfft, _not with his **pet** around_..." Red couldn't help but snicker under her breath.

"What was that?" Anessa turned and looked at her.

"Nothing, nothing."

After some time, they neared the gates, and Red grew tense as she side-eyed Anessa. The cowgirl sighed wistfully and nodded, stopping in her tracks.

"Well, I suppose this is it." She said disappointedly, dropping the blonde to the ground without care. Red stopped as well, giving herself a break as she lied Craig on the ground next to him.

"I suppose so..." She muttered before looking up at Anessa. "I'm sorry I have to leave you again so soon."

"Now, now, don't you worry your pretty little head." She then put a hand to Red's cheek. "I know you'll always come back to me." She smiled.

"Of course I will." She replied. "And, one day, I won't have to answer to that _blonde prick_ anymore, and we can live together normally."

"I like the sound of that." Anessa said as she leaned down and kissed Red softly. "Bye for now, dear."

"Bye for now..." Red sighed as she grabbed the two boys' arms, giving Anessa one last nod of farewell before beginning to drag them behind her as she had before.

_Back to hell..._


	9. The Prince

Craig groaned as he slowly came to consciousness, his eyes squinting as bright light filtered past his eyelids. The only thing coming to his senses was the crackling of what sounded like fire.

"C-craig? Craig!" Tweek? Was that his voice? The boy groaned again as he slowly opened his eyes all the way. His brows furrowed in confusion. He was in some kind of...fancy...living quarter? He took in his surroundings. Well, for one, there was a huge, ornate fireplace behind him. That would explain the sound of fire. He was sitting in a large, comfy brown lazy chair. It was probably the most comfortable thing he's ever sat in. "Craig!" Before he could finish observing, his attention was snapped to his left as he remembered Tweek's voice cutting through the near silence. He saw the blonde staring at him wide-eyed and sitting next to him in his own comfy chair, his arms tight behind his back. Craig tried to move his own arms only to realize that he was in the same predicament.

"Tweek...? Where..._are _we?" He asked groggily. The left side of his back really stung, and he noticed a small wound on Tweek's shoulder and dried blood around that area. "What happened to us?"

"I don't know. I just saw arrows fly out at us from the trees, and once we were hit, we both just...blacked out."

"Well, we need to figure out a way out o-"

"_Tais-toi!_" A voice suddenly snarled. Tweek and Craig both jumped as their eyes wandered around the room in a panicked manner before landing on a tattered-looking boy sitting in the corner, his knees pulled up to his chest. And, if looks could kill, they'd both be_ obliterated_. _How long had be been there?_

"Uh...hello?" Craig said awkwardly. "Who...are you? Where are we?" The boy stiffened as he was addressed.

"_Soyez silencieux!_" He growled as he stood slowly. "No talk!"

"Just tell us why we're here. We didn't do anything." Tweek tried to reason. The boy suddenly glared daggers at Tweek and stormed up to him, gripping his chin in is hand with bruising force.

"You talk more, I break jaw!" He snarled. Before either could react, a calm, pleasant voice like silk cut in.

"That's enough, my pet." The brunette immediately moved his hand from Tweek and quickly backed away from them as the three turned their heads to see a tall, slender young man who looked no older than 18 with long, golden curls of hair pulled back into a low ponytail that ended at the middle of his back. A long, red cape dragged behind him, a shiny, golden crown that could hardly be differentiated from his hair save for the purple and red gemstones that adorned it lied atop his head, and the hilt of a sword poked from a sheath that was attached to his waist. He strutted in, head held high, and made his way to a seat similar to the ones they were currently in, except it was larger. It sat across from them, so when the young man sat down, he was facing the two. He had on a cocky smile as he leaned an elbow in the armrest and placed his head in his hand. "So...here we all are..." He purred.

"What are you talking about? Who are you?" Craig demanded. The young man chuckled.

"I fail to see how you think you're in a position to be questioning _me_."

"We are very much in a position to question you! We were minding our own business, and then suddenly we're here, tied up? The _fuck_, man?!"

"Ah, ah, ah." He waved the finger of his free hand at them. "If you really _were_ minding your business, you wouldn't have been spying on my pawns, would you?"

"I-..." Craig's eyes widened as he was caught off-guard. Then, everything came rushing to him at once as he locked eyes with the stranger. "It's..._you. _The ki-...er..._prince_." His gaze then flickered to the other boy. "And...your guard dog servant who is...notorious for attacking people that make you angry." This caused the prince to laugh.

"Oh, you know of him!" He chuckled, looking over to the brunette. "He may look scrawny, but he is quite the brute if given the requisite motivation._ That motivation being my command_." His eyes seemed to roam the brunette for a little too long, like a dog looking at a piece of meat, which slightly disturbed Craig. Finally, the young man snapped his attention back to the two. "But let's focus on you two for a moment, yes? _Feldspar_. The greatest thief in Zaron. Quite the title." Craig cocked an eyebrow at him.

"While I like to believe so, I don't completely know if that's true, but that seems to be what everyone reveres me as."

"Well, with a title so widely known across the kingdoms, it must be. And I only strive for the best, you see."

"What are you getting at, asshole?" Tweek cut in, his brows furrowed. The tattered brunette boy tensed angrily as he glared at Tweek, but the prince raised a hand to signal him to stand back.

"I'd suggest you not talk to me that way, lest you make my pet angry, to which I may be so inclined to let him have at you." He grinned, turning his attention back to Craig. "Currently, I have the greatest _ranger_ in Zaron working under me. Quite the girl, with years of subservience to me under her belt. However, when I sent her out to kill you, she failed. I thought about punishing her for her failure, but then I realized something. You are known across the land as the greatest thief. And now, you're also apparently a _spy_." He seemed to seethe with the last word. "So, I have a proposition for you." He chuckled. Craig narrowed his eyes in thought.

"Go on." Craig finally replied after a moment. Tweek turned to look at him in dismay. Was he seriously just accepting this?

"Good to hear that you're already backing down and want to hear what I have to say." He smirked. "You see, I want to become ruler of _all_ of the kingdoms, but I can't because I'm _so_ disconnected from the others that I know nothing about them. I need information. _Secrets_. That's why I need _you_."

"Okay, if I can gather what you're trying to say to me, you want me to..._spy_ on the other kingdoms for you?"

"Flawless, isn't it? You work for me in getting me the information I need, and since they trust you and you're 'buddy-buddy' with all three of them, there's nothing they'd keep from you." He smiled pleasantly.

"And what exactly is in it for me?" Craig asked. Tweek couldn't believe what he was hearing. Craig was seriously just going along with this? Maybe...maybe he had something else planned...yeah. That's the only thing that would make sense...right? Tweek bit his lip anxiously, wincing slightly as the young man in front of them let out a chilling laugh.

"Oh, you say that as if incentive were an option." He snickered. "But as the oh-so-generous and fair leader that I am, you _will_ be rewarded should you not prove treasonous and give me what I desire. As the best, I want only the best, and as you are the greatest thief in Zaron...you can work under me. And by that time, I'll have control of the kingdoms, and I will take my protégés with me to the top. Including you."

"Mh, yeah, as tempting as that sounds, I'm going to have to decline." Craig smirked. Tweek gave a sigh of relief. _Craig was still sane_. "I'm not working for some prissy-ass prince." The young man seemed to take this surprisingly well as his expression remained unchanged, almost like he expected it.

"I will give you one more chance to reconsider." The prince said, his eyebrows furrowing.

"_Suck it_." Craig retorted angrily. The prince seemed to deflate where he sat slightly, giving the brunette that stood next to him a disappointed look.

"What a shame. _Very well_. I tried being nice. I offered you the deal of a lifetime. But now you will see that your boldness be vain as there is now to be no reward." He flicked his hand in Tweek's direction, and the brunette growled, stalking towards the barbarian boy. He grabbed him by the throat, squeezing hard. Without his hands to aid him, the blonde squirmed in his seat, trying to kick him and get out of the other boy's grasp, but it was useless.

"Stop!" Craig suddenly yelled, moving to stand, but he wasn't sure what he'd do after that with his hands tied back. At that same instant, the blonde reached to his side and flicked out the long blade from its sheath, pointing it directly at Craig.

"Shut up and sit down." He ordered harshly, his soft, pleasant tone completely gone. Craig cast a worried glance at Tweek, who was still struggling desperately for breath, before doing as he was told. "Good. Now, listen closely." The prince leaned forward in his seat, pressing the tip of the sword into the ground as he leaned on the hilt. "I tried to be kind in my approach. I tried to be fair. But now you've forced my hand. I didn't want it to come to this, but now the deal is that if you _don't_ do as I so politely asked, _the barbarian dies_. Your choice." He purred, his voice softened once more. Craig couldn't believe the gall of this fucker. The way he sat there, cocky expression on his face as he knew Craig had no choice but to accept. _It really pissed him the fuck off._

"Fine! Just let him go!" Craig snapped, his face contorted with rage.

"_Excellent_!" The prince exclaimed with a grin, raising a hand at the brunette, who immediately released the blonde's throat and stepped back. Tweek hunched over in his seat, coughing, sputtering, and gasping as he tried to fill his lungs once more. "You can set off tomorrow."

"What about Tweek?"

"The barbarian? Oh, he won't be accompanying you. I have to have my bargaining chip in case you have any thoughts of going rogue or rattling off to the other kingdoms about my plans." The prince sighed. Okay, Craig _really_ wanted to kill him now.

"Right..." He said through gritted teeth.

"Despite your blatant disrespect, I am not without hospitality. I am a gentleman after all. And there still may yet be a chance that I will take you under my wing should you prove your loyalty because, who knows? You may _enjoy_ working under me, especially once I have all that power. Therefore, you will have your _own _living quarters as lush as my dear ranger's. Servants will bring you food. We even have a one-of-a-kind working irrigation system that allows for easier bathing." He smiled. "Impressive, no? And your quarters, of course, will be heavily guarded, but you will be allowed to bunk together. Men have needs, I know" He smirked coyly. Craig grew visibly uncomfortable at that. "However, outside of your quarters, you will be accompanied at all times. Perhaps by a guard. Perhaps by a court member. Perhaps, even, by this charming lad." He placed a hand on top of the brunette's head. "Whatever seems suitable in the moment. Have I made myself clear?" When neither answered, he stabbed his sword _into _the ground. "_Have I made myself clear?!_" Both boys winced before nodding. "I expect a verbal answer." He growled. After a hesitation, Craig was the only one to speak.

"Yes, sir..." He mumbled.

"Wonderful. I look forward to our partnership." The prince smiled warmly, all traces of animosity suddenly gone. The brunette looked to the prince.

"I take zem now, Gregory?"

"Yes, my pet. I think they got the message. Isn't that right, boys?"

"Yes, sir..." The two said in unison.


	10. New Living Arrangements

"Get in zere!" The brunette barked as he opened the door and pushed the two in at the same time, causing them to topple over each other and fall to the floor.

"Hey!" Tweek growled as he turned to glare at the boy.

"You!" He pointed at them. "Don't leave room, zere is guard. You leave-" He brought his thumb across his throat as a demonstration.

"Yeah, we get it, you foreign fuck." Craig huffed as he and Tweek stood. At his words, the brunette suddenly lurched towards him angrily, and on instinct, Craig reached right for his belt where his knife would be…only to realize all of his things had been taken. _Fuck_. That was his only thought as he was knocked to the ground with a punch to the face.

"Craig!" Tweek yelped, moving to help him.

"Watch the tongue! _I'm_ not pleasant as _Gregory_." The tattered boy spat as he glared at him, hands balled into fists. "Lucky I can't kill you wizout permission. Now _stay 'ere_ until told not to. _Don't be stupid!_" And, with that, he stormed off, slamming their door closed.

"Christ, isn't he full of sunshine and rainbows?" Craig scoffed as he brought a hand to his jaw, surprised it hadn't misaligned in some way. "And he could do with some English lessons." Tweek ignored his statements and held onto his arm, concern written on his face.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Asshole doesn't look like he can land a punch, but _fuck_."

"At least he didn't do worse."

"Yeah, I guess." Craig sighed, shaking his head. The two were silent for a moment before Tweek spoke.

"So…what now…?"

"Well…I guess the only thing we _can_ do at the moment is make the best of our situation…and try to come up with a plan."

"Right." Tweek nodded, turning and finally taking in their surroundings. The blonde's mouth fell open. "Craig...take a look at this." Tweek muttered as he placed a hand on Craig's shoulder, turning him around. Craig's eyes widened.

The room wasn't _huge_, per se, but it was certainly bigger than the entire living area of their cabin. There was a large bed with it's headboard flat against the far wall, perfectly centered. It had white sheets that were actually sewn and a thick purple blanket laced with intricate designs that lied on top, and the look of it hinted at the material being silk. There were two windows that allowed light to flood in, but both were barred for obvious reasons. There was a lantern on a small, circular table in the corner for, presumably, when night falls and you need to find your way around. There was an ornate dresser, though they had no changes of clothes, so it just sat there, unused. Additionally, there was a walk-in closet that was empty. A huge, red, velvet carpet lied perfectly in the center of the room. The floor itself and trims of the room were pure white, and the walls were a light purple. It was the most luxurious room the two had ever seen.

"Wow..." Craig breathed.

"He wasn't kidding about _lush_." Tweek added softly. "Why would he put us here? You'd think he'd have us in a dungeon or something...Not _this_."

"Well...in my training as a thief, one thing I learned is that the best way to get through to someone, especially if they don't like you, is to appeal to their better nature. Treat them well. My guess is he's just trying to play his cards right to get what he wants from us by pretending to be pleasant, but something...something was off about that boy."

"Speaking of 'boy,' doesn't he look too young to be running a kingdom?"

"Clyde's basically the same age."

"Yeah, but, like...no offense, but Clyde's kingdom is kinda..." Tweek brought his hand up and held his thumb and pointer finger close together. "This place, however, is huge and luxurious, and apparently very prestigious from what we were told. A young boy running all this on his own?" Craig shrugged.

"I don't know. What I do know, however, is that we need to find a way to get out of this place."

"Yeah, well, that's not going to last long. His ranger knows where we live." Tweek sighed as he walked to the door, trying the knob only to find that it was locked. "Even if we escaped, she'd just find us again. We'd have to find another plot of land and build _another_ cabin." He groaned.

"_Unless_..." Craig said thoughtfully as he brought a hand to his chin.

"Unless...?"

"Unless..._we appeal to the ranger_."

"Are you out of your _mind_, Craig? You heard what he said! She's been working under him for_ years_! What makes you think being nice to her will make her change her mind? Especially when anyone who opposes this fucker gets killed,_ apparently_!"

"Fuck, you're right..." Craig sighed.

"And what about our horse? Is she still at the cabin? Did they kill her?"

"Who cares about a horse right now? We have to think of a plan!"

"Well, I'm sorry that I actually think of her as part of the family instead of just some...some..._pack mule._"

"Oh, here we go." Craig threw up his hands with an exasperated sigh. "I do care about the horse, it's just we have bigger things to worry about right now." Tweek simply huffed in response as he turned and walked towards one of the barred windows, putting his hands to them and pulling. "Wow, very original." Craig said as he began clapping slowly and sarcastically.

"Look, I'm trying, Craig. Don't be a dick. I don't see you doing anything."

"There's a lot more to life than using your brute strength, you know." Craig said as he tapped a finger to his own head. "Like using your brain?"

"Okay, smart guy, then think of something while I try to find a way out." He huffed, moving to the other window to test the weakness of _those_ bars. Unfortunately, they seem to have been recently installed. Craig shook his head and crossed his arms. This was useless. What did Tweek plan to do once they broke out? It was like he himself had said: they'd only find us again. Why did they want them so bad? Why did they want _him_ so bad? Just to get information? What then? He becomes a member of the court (if the dick is even intending to keep him alive at all), and goes on wreaking havoc in his name? No way. He had to think of a way out of this mess. But he did know one thing: _he was one hell of a bullshitter_. If he could just..._pretend_...to be doing his bidding, maybe he could gain his trust and...then what? If he were to discover his treachery, he and Tweek were both dead. _Christ. _For the time being, he supposed accepting their new living quarters and arrangements given to them by _Gregory_ would be beneficial until they can find some sort of way out of this mess. Craig stalked over to the bed and lied back on it with a sigh. _Holy fucking shit, this bed was soft._

"Lazy-ass." He heard Tweek scoff before feeling the side of the bed dip. He turned his head to see Tweek sitting on the edge of the bed, gazing at him.

"What do you want?"

"Is it wrong to admire you?" Tweek smirked.

"We were literally just fighting."

"Whether we're fighting or not, it doesn't change how handsome you are." He purred coyly. Craig growled softly and turned over on his other side, facing away from the blonde. "Oh, don't be sour. Yes, we're in a terrible predicament. Yes, our lives are being threatened. And, yes, I still think you're a dick. But we've been through awful things before. And we always get through them..." Tweek smiled as he put a hand to Craig's shoulder and turned him to lie on his back again so he could see his face. "...together." Craig looked at him, letting out a deep exhale as he took his hand in his.

"When did you get so _cheesy_?" Craig grunted. Tweek snickered.

"When _you_ did the first time we kissed."

"I don't remember."

"_Bullshit_." Tweek scoffed. Craig gave him a small smirk.

"Care to remind me?" He asked. The blonde smiled, leaning over him.

"Gladly." Tweek purred, leaning down and pressing his lips to Craig's.


	11. And So It Begins

When Craig awoke the next morning, it took several seconds for multiple things to register at once. One, he almost freaked out due to the unfamiliar surroundings until memories of the previous day came rushing back to him. Two, Tweek was cuddled up against him. Three, his neck hurt, and an experimental touch from his fingers told him there was bruising. _Of course_. Luckily, he was still clothed, so that means they didn't get too crazy. And, four, _this bed was so fucking comfortable and he didn't want to move_. He exhaled deeply and pulled Tweek closer, who let out a soft whine in his sleep at the movement.

Today was the day. Today he would be sent out to do...whatever it was Gregory wanted him to. Spy on the other kingdoms, was it? Like hell he was going to do that. But they were going to be keeping Tweek here as a hostage, so he had to play his cards right. Clyde was already rallying troops from all three kingdoms to find and smoke out this prince guy. If he just stalled enough, maybe he could buy them enough time. And maybe Craig can slip the information to Clyde on the exact whereabouts of the castle. Before he could continue in his thought processes, he heard a pounding on the door, which startled Tweek awake. Immediately after, the door was swung open, and a young, blonde boy stood in the doorway.

"Get up. Prince Gregory requests - _FUCK! _\- your attendance." Tweek and Craig both sat up, Tweek rubbing his eyes and yawning as Craig stared at the new face with a questioning look at his odd outburst.

"Um...okay?" Craig said, sliding out of bed. Hesitantly, Tweek did the same and walked up to Craig, grabbing his hand.

"No, only the thief."

"Why can't he come?" Craig challenged. The boy furrowed his brows at him.

"Don't you question the prince's orders!" He growled. "Now come with me, and -_ SHIT!_ \- leave the Barbarian."

"Dude, are you okay?" Craig asked, cocking an eyebrow at him. Why did he talk so strangely? The boy looked offended at his question, but before he could do anything about it, Tweek moved his hand from Craig's and placed it on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Craig. Just go. I don't want to cause any more problems." He muttered. Craig sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, alright." He said, leaning forward to kiss Tweek before walking towards the stranger, who placed a hand on Craig's head when he was close enough and shoved him out into the hall. He slammed the door and closed a latch on it before pointing to the right. Craig scowled, but he nodded and began walking. As he did, he passed by a red-haired girl sitting on a bench, with a crossbow across her lap. His eyes lingered on the weapon in awe before moving to what she was doing. She was currently dipping the tips of arrows in a bucket full of some green liquid before putting them on a rack to seemingly dry. Her eyes flickered up to meet his as he passed, and she glared daggers at him. _What a pleasant girl_.

The hallway lead to what he could easily pin as a throne room. It was probably due to the _throne that sat against the far wall_. And, occupying it, was the blonde prick himself, a smug look on his face as he lazily sat there, head in his hand as his elbow propped itself on the arm rest. The tattered brunette from earlier sat on the floor at the left of the foot of the throne like some sort of dog waiting for a command, his back leaned against it. Craig stopped for a moment at the sight, but the boy behind him pushed him forward, causing him to stumble, but not fall. He muttered a curse under his breath before continuing to walk until he stood in front of the throne.

"Feldspar! How nice of you to drop by." Gregory smirked. Craig just rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't give me that. After the spat yesterday, I've done some thinking, and I'm feeling oh-so generous. I think you'll find that working for-"

"_FUCKING SHIT!_" The boy behind Craig suddenly exclaimed, causing him to jump. Gregory seemed to be very calm about the interruption, almost like it was expected as he didn't even look to the blonde, continuing where he left off once the outburst was over.

"...you'll find that working for me comes with great rewards. _If _I'm given results, that is."

"So what do you want me to do, exactly?"

"Good question. Let's cut to the chase. I want you to spend a day at each kingdom. After you are done surveying one, you will report back to me. I expect to see you at the end of every day so I know you haven't flaked. I don't _care _how long or tiring the journey is back and forth. And to ensure that you do return every day, my ranger will be accompanying you. Should she return without you, or should both of you not return at all on any given day, the Barbarian will be sentenced to a slow, painful death." Craig jolted.

"A day is hardly enough time to-"

"One. Day." Gregory growled, leaning forward. Craig sighed and nodded. "Good. I'm willing to accommodate you with gear, weapons, and a change of clothes." He then looked to the side. "Philip?" A young, blonde boy ran up to Gregory.

"Y-yes, my prince?" He replied, clasping his hands together.

"Fetch the thief his clothes we've set aside for him. Help him get ready for the journey."

"Yes, my prince." Philip, he assumed, said as he ran out of the throne room. Gregory turned his attention to the blonde that was still standing next to Craig.

"Thomas, take him to be changed, will you?"

"_FUCK!_ Er...y-yes, sir." Thomas nodded sheepishly and grabbed Craig, shoving him off in another direction.

"Hey, easy!" Craig snapped as he began walking. "Stop shoving me around, will you?!"

"Shut it." Thomas scowled. As they walked away, Gregory looked over at the boy on the floor with a smirk, standing up.

"This may be easier than I thought." The boy looked back at him and nodded with an equally devious smirk.

~o~O~o~

Craig huffed as he was forced into a side room that looked like some kind of huge closet, and the door was slammed behind him. The walls were all racks of clothes. His eyes lingered on some of the garments. A lot of these were quite nice. But before he could move to inspect anything, that same young blonde boy from earlier - Philip, he believed - opened the door and came in with a pile of clothes. He had a on shy smile, his face and blue eyes riddled with pure innocence.

"Here you are, sir." Philip smiled as he pushed the clothing into Craig's arms. "All hand-picked for you to wear."

"O-oh, um...thanks." Craig said awkwardly as he set the clothes down and picked up the first item, a forest green, loose shirt. He looked at the rest of the clothes. Dark grey pants, sturdy black boots, and a chest strap mount that went around one's middle and over the shoulders, with loops around the sides to hold weapons and a large holster on the back for, he presumed, something bigger. This was high-class stuff. And a great material. He wondered why he'd need weapons if all he was doing was spying, but he figured it was for self defense should anything happen. Bold of the prince to trust him with weapons. He looked at the blonde boy. "Are you, um...just going to stand there while I change?" He asked.

"_COCK!_" Thomas' voice suddenly rang from outside the door.

"Oh! No, of course not, please forgive me." Philip said in response to Craig as put his hands up defensively, turning to rush out of the room. Craig just cocked an eyebrow at him before changing his clothes. There seemed to be something odd about _everyone _here. Once he was finished swapping clothes, he left his old clothes in the room as he stepped out into the hall where Thomas and Philip were waiting.

"Come on." Thomas said as he pushed Craig in front of him. Craig scowled at him and walked. They made it outside where that same red-haired girl from earlier, Gregory, the feral brunette he hadn't caught the name of yet, and a brown horse were waiting for him. The brunette boy was holding several weapons.

"Well, don't you look smashing?" Gregory cooed with a smirk as he eyed Craig's new outfit. "Fit for a man on a mission." He then clicked his tongue, and the brunette stepped forward, holding out the weapons he was promised. Craig hesitantly took them one by one, taking each into account and slipping them into his chest strap weapon holder. A dagger, a skinning knife, a quiver full of fancy-looking arrows, and a..._crossbow of his own?!_ Craig's eyes widened excitedly as he picked it up and examined it. He'd always wanted one, but never had the money for one or know-how to make one himself. Plus, they were quite rare, so they were hard to come by. This must be what the large holster on his back was for. Fumbling a bit, he managed to slide it onto his back, as well as the quiver.

"So, um...where's the ranger who will be accompanying me?" Craig asked. Gregory pointed, and Craig looked to see the redheaded girl, who was currently getting on the back of a black and white horse. "Wait, _her_? _She's_ your best ranger? But she's so...petite?"

"Say that to my face, asshole!" The girl suddenly snapped. Gregory let out a hearty chuckle.

"Oh, believe me, thief, she's far more dangerous than she looks. And her bark is much worse than her bite. I'd watch my back if I were you." He snickered. Craig rolled his eyes. _Yeah, okay._ He shook his head before trying to hop onto the back of the brown horse he was presented, not quite clearing its back as he fell back to the ground. The girl laughed, and he could hear the others snickering. His face grew red with embarrassment.

"And I'm supposed to believe _you're_ the 'greatest thief in Zaron,' but you _can't mount a horse_?" She laughed. With a strained grunt, Craig finally managed to get on, albeit awkwardly, fixing his position and straightening himself up.

"It, uh-...it was the weight of all these weapons. I'm not used to carrying so much." He said, trying to redirect the ridicule.

"Yeah, sure." The girl chuckled before snapping her horse's reigns. Craig did the same, and the two were off.

"Don't fail me again, Red!" He suddenly heard Gregory call out, his voice sounding almost amused. "You know what'll happen!" Craig watched as the girl, who he now knew was named 'Red' (how fitting), lower and shake her head. He decided to ignore it and looked ahead once more, letting her lead the way as he didn't know how to get to the other kingdoms from Gregory's castle.

_And so it begins._


	12. Philip

**Concept art for Prince Gregory and Christophe, Advisor Thomas, Ranger Red, and Craig with his new outfit have been made. If you have any interest in seeing how they look, you can visit my DeviantArt page under the name _"__Datrandomcat"_.**

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As they strode along on horseback, Craig couldn't help but let his eyes linger on Red for extended periods of time. He wanted to say something, _anything_, but she didn't seem to want to talk. She never once looked back at him. He didn't know what to think of her, and she wasn't exactly easy to read. They'd been traveling for a few hours now, and not one word had been exchanged between the two. Finally, he pressed his heels into the horse's sides and it slightly quickened its pace until he was side by side with the girl. She slowly turned her head to look at him.

"Can I help you?" She asked in a monotone voice. Craig cocked his head.

"Well, uh...my name is Feldspar." He greeted.

"Good for you." She replied, facing forward once more.

"Well...um...usually when someone introduces themselves, it's typically common courtesy to do the same back." He said. He already knew her name, and he assumed she already knew his, but he was just trying to make conversation, _damn it_.

"I don't need to say anything to you." She deadpanned.

"Look, I know we don't really know much about each other or anything, but I think-"

"Oh, I know a lot about you, _Craig Tucker_." She interjected, never taking her eyes off of the road ahead. Craig blinked. How did she-... "For, you see, I actually have training as a spy. Unlike _some_." She turned her cold gaze back to him. Craig scoffed.

"I'm a _great_ spy!" He argued.

"Is that why your impatience when trying to get information from the rogues lead to you failing your mission?"

"How do you know about that...?"

"I was the one who shot the poor fucker in the head." She snickered, tapping the side of her head with a finger. Craig's eyes widened.

"You were the one in the trees! The one...the one who tried to get us killed!"

"_Oh, no_, you found me out." She said sarcastically.

"You _bitch_!"

"Hey, special orders from Gregory." She shrugged casually. "Just like when I shot you two down outside of your home. I just _take_ orders, he _gives_ them. Blame_ him_ if you're going to blame _anyone_."

"Wha-..._You're the one who shot us, too_?! How'd you find out where we live?!" He asked incredulously. Red chuckled.

"Even greater than I am as a spy, I'm a ranger. I know how to track." She purred. Craig was flabbergasted.

"A-and...and those arrows! How'd they make us drop so quickly?!"

"Earlier you saw me dipping my arrows in a green liquid concoction, did you not? It's a formula created by our on-site alchemist. I don't know what's in it, nor do I care, but once it enters the blood stream, it apparently attacks the nervous system." She explained with another casual shrug. Craig shook his head.

"You guys are _diabolical_." He gaped.

"You have no idea, brother. But if it makes you feel any better, I have no personal gripe with you. You aren't on my shitlist or anything. I just follow Gregory's orders, and that's it. You just happened to be the person of interest."

"Yes, _very reassuring_." He muttered sarcastically. There was a gap of silence between the two before the girl finally spoke again.

"And my name is Red, by the way, but you already knew that, didn't you? From hearing Gregory threaten me?"

"I, uh-..." Craig began awkwardly, moving a hand up to rub the back of his head. "...yeah. I did. He seems to...not treat people that well." Again, Red shrugged.

"It's just how he is. You get used to it."

"I don't want to get used to it." Craig growled, shaking his head.

"Well, now you don't really have a choice. You got yourself into this mess."

"Clyde got me into this mess!" He cried. This only made Red laugh.

"You didn't _have_ to get involved with his issues, though. That was _your_ choice."

"Whatever..." The boy scowled, looking off to the side. He perked up slightly as the outline of Kupa Keep came into view. Almost there already? After just a few hours of travel? How had the residents of Kupa Keep nod tread as far as Gregory's kingdom? Lazy asses...Then again, he used to work for them, so he couldn't really say anything. And yet, here he was...betraying them for a second time.

_Oh, how history repeats itself._

~o~O~o~

Tweek lied back on the comfortable bed, staring up at the white ceiling. What was he supposed to do while Craig was gone, exactly? How long would it take for him to be back. He let out a deep sigh, rolling onto his side. This was so _stupid._ They were supposed to be living life to the fullest together...and now Craig was being forced to commit treason on three kingdoms for some asshole prince while he was just here, held captive? _Fucking fantastic_. Suddenly, a knock was heard on his door. He sat up with a grunt, looking towards it.

"Uh...come in?" He said questioningly. He wasn't sure he had the authority to say whether or not someone could come in, especially with the lock on the outside of the door. He heard said lock unlatch, and the door was pushed open by a little blonde boy he hadn't seen before. He was holding a tray of food.

"G-good day, sir, my name is Philip." He said with a shy smile, walking towards him. "I've brought you lunch."

"Oh, u-uh...thank you." Tweek pulled his legs up onto the bed as Philip approached and placed the tray on the bed next to him. The servant boy was scrawny, looking like he didn't get many chances to eat in a day. Tweek was strong and well-fed, and even though he was hungry, he pushed the tray slightly towards the boy. "Would you like some, too?"

"O-oh!" He looked to the side like he didn't know how to respond. "N-no one has ever asked me that before. I'm certain I'm not allowed to take food from another." Tweek chuckled.

"You're not taking it, I'm offering it to you. So...do you want some?" He offered again. Philip seemed to eye the food like a starved dog with admirable willpower, and Tweek held out a piece of venison to him. Philip seemed to take a quick look around as if someone may be watching before hesitantly taking the food from his hands and immediately taking a bite. He didn't even chew. It just went straight down.

"Th-thank you, sir."

"You can call me 'Tweek.'" The Barbarian smiled. Philip nodded in acknowledgement, taking a few more quick bites. He still wasn't chewing. "Um...you'll choke if you eat like that." Philip cocked an eyebrow at him.

"What other way is there to eat?" He asked innocently. Tweek furrowed his eyebrows at him in confusion. _Seriously?_

"Uh, by chewing it?"

"We never have time to chew." Philip sighed. "We get a few minutes to eat before we're back to serving the prince and the castle's residents. I guess just shoving food down my gullet is a habit at this point." He gave a small smile before taking another bite of the venison, freezing for a moment as if actively _trying_ not to just swallow it. He slowly chewed it, and eventually swallowed. He looked back at Tweek with a satisfied grin. "That's far less painful than swallowing food whole."

"Well, there you go." Tweek smiled back, patting the spot on the bed next to him invitingly. Philip seemed to take another paranoid glance around before hopping onto the bed and sitting next to him. He gave Tweek a joyous smile.

"This is certainly out of the ordinary." He commented. "You're rather kind, I must say."

"Thank you. I try to be."

"I wish others were as such. I mostly get treated like dirt, but...you know...they give me shelter and food and a place to sleep, so...it's not all bad." He gave Tweek another smile, but Tweek could see the flickers of pain in his eyes. "It could be a lot worse." Tweek offered a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"But it could also be a lot better." He said before pushing the entire tray towards him. "Here, you need this more than I do."

"Oh,_ heavens_, no! I couldn't _possibly_..."

"Please, I insist." Tweek urged. The servant boy gazed wide-eyed at Tweek, unsure of how to react or what to say and do. Finally, after a long, awkward hesitation, he grabbed a carrot from the tray and began eating it. He smiled widely at Tweek, who returned the expression.

"Thank you..." He muttered.

"Of course, Philip." As he watched the boy eat, his mind wandered to what lied beyond the bedroom door. "Ehm...if I heard correctly...I _am_ allowed access past this room, right? I can walk about the castle as long as I'm accompanied by another?"

"Well, yes...but I don't think I'd be suitable for that. Gregory hardly trusts me to bathe the horses. He'd probably want Thomas to watch you."

"Thomas?"

"That blonde boy who came storming in and took Feldspar away earlier? With the..." He gave a soft snicker. "...speaking tic."

"Oh, right. Him." Tweek scoffed. "Yeah, I think I'll pass. Anyone else who's_ less_ of an asshole?"

"Well, there _is_ Red, but she's out on a mission right now. What about Christophe?" Philip offered. Tweek gave him a confused look. "Gregory's pet? The one with broken English."

"Oh, right, him. Isn't he...you know..._dangerous_?" Tweek asked, cocking an eyebrow. Philip chuckled.

"Only if you piss off he or Gregory. Mostly Gregory. Basically, if you don't give him a reason to be angry, he won't be. But he _is_ tense around strangers."

"Perfect." Tweek replied sarcastically. "Is there really no one else?"

"Well, there are several, but everyone is busy with their daily tasks."

"I see..." He sighed. "Well, something is better than nothing, I suppose. Would it be possible for...you to go ask if I could have an escort to leave the room?" Philip perked up.

"Right-o, sir!" He chirped, shoving one more piece of food in his mouth before sliding off of the bed and hurrying to the door. Once he left, Tweek let out a deep exhale. Maybe he'll be able to find out more about this place and the people in it if he were able to be let out. Then he'd have some useful inside information.


	13. Kupa Keep

**Concept art for Pip and Herbert Pocket have been made. If you have any interest in seeing how they look, you can visit my DeviantArt page under the name _"__Datrandomcat"_.**

* * *

Craig let out a deep exhale as they entered human territory. Kupa Keep was just ahead. This is where he originated. Where his family lived. Where he started his life as a thief under the king. But now things were different. Though he'd made amends for his past betrayal by siding with Clyde after he separated himself from them to create his own kingdom and took care of the bastard who'd made switching sides an easy choice for him, he still felt a bit bad for abandoning his other friends, and some still hadn't forgiven him. Luckily, Princess Kenny was the new ruler, and she was far more gracious than the Grand Wizard King. Red's eyes seemed to be scanning everything in its entirety, like she was trying to mentally document everything she saw. He sighed as he remembered why they were here.

He was here to betray them once again.

He steeled himself as they came to the gates of the castle and dismounted their horses, watching as Red snapped at the soldiers to not, under and circumstances, touch her horse, because he was aggressive and would literally kill them.

"Well, hiya, Craig!" He heard a chipper voice. He turned his head to see a familiar blonde walking up to him.

"Butters." He acknowledged with a nod.

"Gee, it sure is good to see you again. Even after everything that happened, I didn't blame you. He did banish your best friend. And sorry about trying to trap you behind the gate a while back when you raided us. Well, had I known it was you, I would've let you escape and-...and make it look like an accident." He smiled. Craig chuckled and shook his head.

"It's alright, Butters. You're cool in my book."

"Aw, thanks, Craig." He said, his smile turning sheepish as he held his hands behind his back in the same manner. This only made Craig feel worse when he thought about what he was doing. He had originally planned to give Gregory false information, but now with Red here to witness everything that was said, that ruined his plan. Was there no way out of this? He could try ditching her, but she was a ranger. She'd only track him down and kill him for sure. He shook his head. This is so _fucked_. "So, what are you doing here?"

"We're here to see the princess." Craig replied as Red came up behind him. Butters furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he looked at the girl, seemingly having just now noticed her, but he didn't question it.

"Oh! Right. The princess will be happy to see you." Butters smiled as he opened the gate and led them through. Craig looked to the side, where his eyes met Red's. Her gaze was cold and calculating. No emotion. Nothing. He grew uneasy and quickly looked away as they entered the main foyer of the castle. His mind began retracing the layout of the building through memories of his time here. Butters led them forward down a corridor until they came to the throne room. Princess Kenny was atop her throne, looking beautiful as ever.

"Oh! Feldspar! What a pleasant surprise." Her speech was muffled slightly by her hood, but she was understandable as it was pulling a little more down on her mouth than usual. Craig gave an awkward wave.

"Yeah, I'm...here." He said.

"And who's the lovely lady?" She asked, looking past him at his 'companion.'

"Oh, um, this is...Red. She's, uh..."

"I'm his personal bodyguard." Red interjected casually, stepping up next to him.

"Oh! Always good to have an extra pair of eyes. Especially with all the enemies you've made in the past, thief." Princess Kenny chuckled. Craig rolled his eyes. "And what about Tweek? Where is he? I thought the two of you were inseparable." Craig turned a worried and expectant gaze towards Red. She looked calm, but he could see the gears turning in her head.

"...He's stuck bedridden with typhoid fever." Red answered quickly.

_...Where the hell did she pull that out of?_

"Oh, dear! How terrible. Yes, those Barbarians are...prone to illness, aren't they?" She cleared her throat. "No matter, when you take your leave, we could send you off with a solution to cure his fever."

"We'd appreciate that, ma'am." Red smiled, looking almost eager. What was she playing at?

"So, then, tell me the reason you decided to bless us with your presence. You can't have come all the way out here just to say 'hello.'" Princess Kenny said with a smile. Craig sighed.

"I actually..." God, he was going to regret this. "...came to check on the battle plans. Clyde's orders. Surely he has reached out to you about the new enemy from afar."

"Oh, yes...them." She sighed. "The past months have been a...hard blow for the human kingdom of Kupa Keep. When our people went to war with the Elves and Darkness faction, well...we suffered heavy loss. Then a decently-sized group of us ran off once Cartman was banished because they were loyal to him. We've been slowly rebuilding, but it's not been easy."

"I can imagine. I'm sorry things had to be this way."

"Well, things are for the better, now. The people are happier, as are the castle staff. They no longer feel oppressed. Morale is at an all-time high." Princess Kenny smiled again. Craig only felt a twisting in his gut.

"Right. I suppose we can take the bad with the good."

"Yes, of course. Now, back to the topic at hand. Because we've suffered from loss in our ranks due to past conflict, there is only minimal we can give to help the fight while still having some stay to defend the kingdom."

"Why not send them _all_?" Red interjected once more. "Everything you have."

"Excuse me?" Princess Kenny asked, leaning forward a bit in her throne. The redhead gave her a thoughtful look.

"Why should you need people her to defend the kingdom if you are going on the offensive? The other kingdom doesn't know of your plans to invade, so who is there to protect the kingdom from? Sending all of your militia would give better odds for victory, no? And since no one but those you tell would be aware of the lack of protection in your kingdom, who would attack?" She then smirked coyly. "Especially with such a_ powerful_ princess in command, who would dare even try?" Princess Kenny leaned back in her throne, bringing a finger up to twirl the curls in her hair sheepishly.

"O-oh, well...I _suppose_ you have a point." She smiled to herself. "Then I shall converse with my advisors...see what they think."

"Yes, ma'am. Show them what a truly _wise_ leader you are." Red said with a bow. Craig watched her unchanging serious expression, but underneath, he could almost see the shit-eating grin she was hiding. He sighed and looked towards the tall windows that adorned the walls, lattice frameworks built into the glass. The sky shown to be about midday. He had to keep a check on how much time he had before he was forced to go back. He was snapped back to the moment at hand by the feeling of Red gripping his shoulder. He turned his gaze to her.

"Come on, stop daydreaming. The princess is going to share some information with us and show us her plans." She motioned with her head to the princess, who was already off her throne and moving towards a nearby corridor. Craig gave another wistful sigh before he and Red followed behind. She took them to what appeared to be a study. Written notes were strewn everywhere, and a large map lied on a mahogany desk that sat in the middle of the room. The princess moved to stand behind it, placing her hands on the map.

"All three kingdoms have sent out scouts to try to pinpoint this new kingdom so we can form an actual plan. These are all the places _my_ men have searched." She pointed to several spots along the mountains, one being painfully close to where it actually was. "Clyde's people have looked here, and Kyle's people here." She said, pointing at two different general areas respectively. "There's only so much more mountain to cover. We'll find them soon."

"What all do you know about them?" Red suddenly asked.

"Well..." The princess began. "...Clyde being the one commandeering this search mission, he's left out all important details and information about them that he may know. He only told us that they're dangerous and that we need to find them. I can't help but wonder if it's because of our past skirmishes or if it's just Clyde being self-explanatory Clyde. Kyle might have more information since they seem to be buddy-buddy."

"I doubt Clyde would leave out important information on purpose over something petty like that, especially when the future of all of the kingdoms is at risk." Craig said, shaking his head. Princess Kenny shrugged.

"Either way, our knowledge is minimal. Hopefully our scouts are able to find something and, in the meantime, us three kingdoms are rallying our forces together to take them out before they try anything with us. If they're as dangerous as they're made out to be, we can't risk them making the first move. Especially since all three of our kingdoms are still recuperating after that battle only a few months ago. My kingdom was hit the hardest, and the people are looking to me to keep them safe, so there is little room for error. I just hope I'm making the right choices, here."

"I'm certain you are,_ princess_." Red replied with a devious look in her eyes.

~o~O~o~

Tweek was lying back on the bed. Philip had left a while ago; either that, or every minute felt like an eternity. He stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought. He was about to go up to the door and bang on it when, finally, some noise was heard as the sound of the door's lock unlatching echoed throughout the room. A familiar tattered boy opened the door. His brows were furrowed and his mouth formed a hard line as he seemed to have a permanent scowl etched into his face. Tweek quickly sat up, propping himself up by his arms.

"O-oh, um..._Christophe_...right?" He asked slowly. The boy merely grunted and motioned for him to come along. "Right..." The blonde said as he hopped down from the bed and walked over to him. Just from his body language, he could tell that the brunette was tense. His limbs were stiff and his gaze attentive, constantly aware. So, he flashed the boy a smile as he passed through the doorway, to which he was only met with a glare. _Christ, lighten up, would you? _Christophe closed the door and crossed his arms, looking at the other boy.

"Can't believe I am 'aving to babysit ze prisoner." He grumbled before stalking forward. "_Allons_." Tweek didn't understand that last word, but with the way he motioned for him to follow, he figured it meant just that. He walked after him.

"So, um...where are we going? I thought I was able to walk around as I pleased as long as I had someone to watch me?"

"_Quiet_." The boy hissed, continuing his forward stride. Tweek furrowed his brows in mild annoyance, but did as he was told. Soon, they came to a halt in front of a door, and when Christophe opened it, Tweek's eyes widened at the room's interior. All of the walls were entirely lined with clothes. He cocked an eyebrow.

"What is this?" His only response was a shove from behind, forcing him into the room. He growled and turned on the boy. "Hey, what's the big deal?" Christophe narrowed his eyes in annoyance and sighed, closing the door behind them.

"You are...'ow zey say..." He paused for a moment and looked to the side thoughtfully. "...ehm..._in-de-cent_." He finished, looking back at him. He then pointed at what he was wearing, which was only a pair of pants and boots. "Gregory wants you not walking around zis way. _Shirtless_. Dirty clothes. _Indecent_. Zat was ze word used."

"Well, this is how Barbarians dress." Tweek said, crossing his arms defiantly. "If they have a problem with it, they can suck it." This actually caused a snort to escape the brunette, and he looking like he was fighting a small smile of amusement.

"I zink you lack...ehm..._un-der-stand-ing_...of your position. You 'ave no choices, 'ere. Ze only choices are Gregory's. If you want to walk, you 'ave to dress 'ow 'e wants."

"And how, exactly, does he want me to be dressed?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow. Christophe was silent, but he tugged at the shredded collar of his own shirt, and smirked. "Wha-...like a servant? No way."

"Now is not time to complain. You dress." Christophe said as he walked over to a wall that seemed to have racks of the same shirts and pants, all similar to what Christophe was wearing. While he was grabbing him a change of clothes, Tweek's eyes wandered about the room when his eyes caught something familiar. Brows furrowed, he walked over to a cushioned bench and picked up the clothes strewn atop it. These are Craig's clothes. The kind he always wears. _He'd been here. _He felt a tightness in his chest as he picked up the bundle and buried his face in the fabrics. It smelled just like him. He sighed wistfully, holding them close. He hoped, wherever Craig was, he was okay. He missed him, and not knowing where he was or what he was doing made that feeling increase tenfold. He hoped to see him soon. He must've been like that for a bit, because he'd almost forgotten where he was when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He lifted his head and turned to see the boy standing behind him, a shirt and pants draped over his arm, a pair of shoes in his other hand, and a confused expression on his face. "What are you doing?"

"O-oh..." Tweek felt his cheeks flush slightly in embarrassment as he placed the clothes back down. "I was just, um..."

"...You miss ze thief." Christophe said. Tweek looked back at him with a sheepish nod. "'e'll return before sundown. No worry. Now..." He said, shoving the clothes into Tweek's arms. "...you change." And, with that, Christophe walked to the far end of the room, back turned to him. Tweek did as he was told, changing into the requisite attire. Wearing a shirt felt so alien to him. Even when it was cold, he just toughed it out. That's what Barbarians did. But the shirt...it felt so _confining_, as loose as it was.

"I'm ready..." Tweek said unsurely, walking up to the brunette, who turned to him with a nod before walking to the door and opening it for Tweek. Once they left, Christophe crossed his arms with an expectant look.

"Lead ze way."

"Right." Tweek replied as he chose a random direction and began walking down the long corridor. "So..." He began after they had been walking for a few minutes. "Why _is_ Gregory letting me have free reign of the castle, even if I have someone to watch me? Seems a little...I don't know..._enabling_."

"Gregory works in...odd ways." He replied. "Says by trusting you, you will event..._e-ven-tu-a-lly_...trust 'im. If zere is trust, zere is higher chance you work for 'im."

"I will _never _work for him." Tweek growled. Christophe shrugged.

"Is not so bad."

"Not so bad? Do you not see how he's using Craig? And using me as a bartering chip?"

"'e's only using what 'e can as advantage. You would do ze same if in 'is position."

"No, if I was a leader, I'd be doing what I can to serve my people. Not trying to conquer what I can and become king of everything I can get my greedy hands on."

"You don't know what you say."

"I know enough to reason that Gregory is just an asshole who used people and only cared about himself." Tweek spat, fuming. Their walking was interrupted as Christophe suddenly grabbed Tweek by the collar and shoved him back up against the wall. His teeth were gritted and his pupils constricted, his face so close, their breath mingled.

"Don't speak of 'im like zat! You don't know 'im as I do, _connard_!" The boy snapped. Tweek gasped and pressed himself further against the wall, as if Christophe wasn't doing that enough already. He was glad they were the only ones present in the corridors at that moment.

"Why do you defend him so much?" Tweek whimpered out. "He treats you like shit, too." Christophe seemed to have been caught off-guard by the question, because his grip loosened and his eyes widened a bit. And, if you looked close enough, they even seemed to gloss over slightly. Finally, he shook his head, scoffed, and shoved Tweek against the wall once more before stepping back. The blonde let out a groan, standing up straight and cracking his back. "Fuck, all I did was ask a question..." He sighed. Christophe snapped his gaze to him, a beady glare.

"Some questions are better _unasked_." He growled. Tweek shook his head and continued walking, the air around them now an awkward silence.

Eventually, they came to a courtyard, where there was finally someone else other than them. A proper-looking, blonde woman in white and gold attire similar to Thomas' could be seen swordfighting with what he assumed to be a knight. He didn't have armor on, but his traditional dresswear is what lead him to the conclusion. She was directing him on footing and tricks to bring an opponent down quickly. Several others in similar clothing to the man stood around, watching intently. Tweek assumed her to be some sort of battle trainer? But with her fancy clothing, is she also an advisor like Thomas?_ Go off, I guess. _He decided to leave them to do their own thing.

It didn't take long for them to come to the far back of the castle that led outside. The air out here smelled of animals and manure. Tweek moved a hand to his nose.

"What's out here?" He asked, looking to Christophe.

"Ze animals. Clearly you smell zem. Zis leads to ze stables."

"Stables? Like..._horses?" _He smiled a bit.

"Yes, 'orses." Christophe rolled his eyes. That was all Tweek needed to hear as he began walking down the stony path. That was, until he felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned his head to see Christophe standing stiffly, his expression one of reservation.

"I don't want to go zere." He said quickly.

"What? Why not?"

"I just...I don't...can we...not?" He replied, looking to the side anxiously. Man, this guy really changed moods fast.

"Well, could I just...I don't know...go by myself, then? Because this is literally going to be the highlight of my day if I get to spend some time around animals."

"I can't leave you alone."

"Then, _please_, I beg, can we go?" He really needed some animal therapy after all they'd been through. Christophe looked uncomfortable, but after several moments' hesitation, he gave a solemn nod.

"Fine." He groaned. Tweek perked up.

"Thank you!" He smiled, starting down the path. Christophe hesitantly followed.

When they reached the end of the path, they were met with a very fancy-looking building where the outside was white and, of course, trimmed with gold. They wandered in, and Tweek smiled widely at the sheer number of stalls that lined the walls, each one - save for three of them - occupied by a horse. Christophe's eyes seemed to dart around as if looking out for something, but the blonde took no notice. He ran up to the horse closest to him and began petting its muzzle. It nickered at him, and he let out a squeal of delight. He repeated this with several more horses, and Christophe seemed to finally relax as he propped himself against the frame of the stable doors. After a few minutes, however, they were caught off-guard when a cheery voice came from the other end of the stables.

"Well, 'ello, there!" Tweek and Christophe both turned their heads towards the voice to see a tall, young man sauntering towards them. In one hand was the handle of a bucket he was carrying, filled with oats. "Who's the newbie, Chris?"

"Not a newbie. Prisoner. Just 'as special treatment." Christophe grumbled.

"I see." The man responded as he approached the two, his smile seemingly permanent on his face. "Well, it's quite nice to make your acquaintance, dear boy. Though, I wish it were on better terms. What can I call you, hm?" Well, wasn't _he_ forward. Tweek fiddled with his hands a bit.

"Tweek. And...you are?" He asked. The man closed his eyes and did a courteous bow.

"Herbert Pocket, at your service." He purred. "Though you can call me what you like. Herbert, Herb, even Pocket! Whatever you'd prefer." Tweek smiled at him. Well, it was finally nice to meet someone with a little decency for once.

"I quite like the name 'Herbert.'"

"Oh, well, thank you, dear boy!" Herbert smiled wider. "And I must say, 'Tweek' is a very unique name, for a very unique fellow, I'm sure!"

"I'll choose to take that as a compliment." Tweek chuckled. This made Herbert laugh.

"Well, I sure hope so, I've no intent to offend!"

"Oh, _mon dieu_, stop ze flirting before I vomit." Christophe scoffed. Herbert turned to him with a smirk.

"Oh, hush, you dismal molerat." He chuckled before looking back to Tweek with a warm smile. "Would you like to help me feed the horses?" He offered. Tweek's eyes lit up.

"I'd love to!"

"Wonderful! Here-" Herbert said as he handed the bucket to Tweek, who gladly took it. Christophe just rolled his eyes and stepped out of the stables. He supposed Herbert could babysit the Barbarian for a bit while he took some time to himself. He sat on a nearby stump and sighed, placing his elbows on his knees and resting his head in his hands.

_This is going to be a long day._


	14. Prince Gregory Backstory Released!

You heard it right, folks.

It's titled: _**"The Tragic Tale of Prince Gregory"**_


	15. Family Reunion

As their visitation in Kupa Keep neared its end and Princess Kenny told them everything she knew, they were led to the infirmary. Simple white beds were laid out with curtains in between each one. Craig furrowed his brows and leaned towards Red.

"_Why are we here?"_ He asked in a whisper.

"Tweek's sick, remember?" She whispered with a devious smirk before turning her attention back to Princess Kenny, who riffled through the medicine cabinets. "We need a remedy."

"Oh, it has to be here somewhere..." She murmured to herself. After a few moments, she perked up. "Ah, here it is!" She smiled and held up a vial. "For your partner's typhoid fever. A solution of water, sugar, and various salts to help him with some oral rehydration therapy."

"Uh-" Craig began awkwardly, taking the vial. How did the princess know medicine? "Right, uh, yes. Thank you." He offered a feign smile.

"Of course!" She smiled in return. "Anything for an old friend." Craig saw movement from Red in the corner of his eye, but he paid no mind as the princess put a hand on his back and began leading him out. "Now, let's get you back to your horses and on your way." As the two walked along, making small-talk and comments on their plans for the future, Red hurried to catch up to them. Craig side-eyed her over his shoulder. What had she been doing that caused her to lag behind? He figured it best not to ask in that moment as they reached the main doors. Giving a last goodbye, Princess Kenny waved them off as Craig and Red walked out and, with some difficulty on Craig's part, mounted their horses. The guard that had been tasked with watching Red's horse was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he hadn't listened to her warning upon their arrival. Craig pressed his legs against the horse's sides, and it began walking, Red following close behind. As they went along, he looked up at the sky. He figured it to be encroaching on the evening. With a nervous bite to his lip, he looked at Red.

"Before we leave, there's something I want to do first."

"Craig, we don't have a lot of time. We maybe have an hour before the sun starts touching the horizon, and even _that's_ pushing it."

"That's more than enough time." Craig said as he veered the horse to the right and, with a puzzled expression, Red followed. It didn't take long before they came to a row of houses in the kingdom, Craig heading to one in particular. He stopped his horse outside and hopped off, Red hesitantly doing the same.

"Why are we here?" She asked, almost sounding annoyed. Craig didn't answer her as he stopped in front of the door, looking a bit anxious. Then, with a deep exhale and a look of resolve, he knocked. There were hushed voices that came from inside before the door finally opened, a little girl standing in the doorway. She looked up at Craig in confusion before her expression quickly shifted to one of recognition.

_"Craig!"_ She exclaimed as she jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug as she giggled.

"Hey, it's good to see you again." Craig said with a small smile. Red cocked an eyebrow at the scene._ Well, this is unexpected._

"Tricia, who's at the door?!" A woman's voice called.

"It's Craig!" The little girl squealed excitedly.

_"Cr-"_ The voice was cut off as there were hurried footsteps before the woman appeared in the doorway. "Craig!" His mother cried as she moved forward to engulf him in a tight hug. She brought a hand up to stroke through his hair as she squeezed the life from him. "Oh, my precious boy..."

"H-hey, mom..." Craig grunted though the tight hug. Once the woman separated, she looked him up and down.

"Oh, I still can't believe how big you've gotten." Her brows then suddenly furrowed. "You promised you'd visit, young man! It's been _months_!" Craig sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"I, uh...yeah. Sorry. I've been busy."

"Too busy to visit your own mother? How-" Her eyes then widened as they finally caught sight of Red standing to the side. "Oh! Craig! _You brought a girl!_ Why didn't you say so? Please, both of you, come in!" She waved a hand to motion them to follow as she headed inside. As Craig went to do so, Red grabbed his elbow, causing him to stop in his tracks and look back.

"Craig, we don't have time for this-" She warned. Craig brushed her hand away.

"I'll be the judge of that, thank you. This is my_ family_. I'd like to be with them before they, you know..._get caught up in a war_." He glared at her coldly before stiffly walking inside. Red sighed and shook her head before walking inside as well. Craig went to sit on the couch in the living room, and his mother clasped her hands together happily.

"Is there anything I can get the two of you?" She offered. Red waved a hand dismissively, and Craig shook his head.

"No thanks, mom. I just wanted to stop by since we were in town. Where's dad?" His mother went to sit next to him.

"He's at work right now, honey. Oh, how I wish he could be here to see you. Won't you stay the night? Then you two could catch up when he gets home. Your room...it's just...as you left it." She gave a pained smile.

"I-...I would love to, but I can't. I have somewhere I need to be soon." Craig then clasped his mother's hands in his. "But I promise I'll visit. _I promise._ And I'll stay the night. I'll stay the week, even. Just...not now." He wasn't sure how true those statements would end up being with what was happening between the kingdoms at the moment, but he could hope.

"Right." His mother said in a half-disappointed tone.

"Sorry..."

"It's okay, darling...Really...I understand you lead a busy life." She then looked to the side for a moment before looking back at him. "So, uh, tell me...how is your kleptomania? Have any better control of it?" She asked awkwardly. Craig nodded.

"I've been much better about it. I rarely ever swipe anymore. And, when I do, I try to limit it to little useless things."

"Good, good. And uh...that Tweek fellow."

"What about him?"

"Has he taken your virginity yet?"

_"Mom!"_ Craig gasped, feeling his cheeks heat up. His mother laughed.

"_What?_ I'm your mother, I deserve to know!"

"I-I beg to differ! That's hardly any of your business!"

"Well, with how you're reacting, I take it as a yes." She smirked. "My little boy's grown up so fast!"

"Mom, _stoooop_!" While the conversation between family members happened, Red stood to the side with a hand over her mouth to hide her smirks. So, this is where Craig gets his outward disposition. This, however, seemed like too much of a personal conversation for her to be part of, so she decided to look around instead, but was taken by surprise by the feeling of something in her hand. She looked down to see Tricia holding it and looking up at her with wide eyes.

"You have really pretty hair..." She murmured. Red's typical reaction to any kind of socialization with strangers was to snap, but seeing the little girl's face and hearing her compliment her in such an adorable voice, she couldn't help but give a small smile. She hated to admit she had a soft spot for children.

"Thank you, so do you." She said softly. Tricia gave a small squeal of delight, seeming to instantly warm up to this stranger.

"So, are you Craig's new girlfriend or something?" She asked suddenly. This almost caused Red to sputter out a laugh.

"O-oh, no, dear, not at all. We're just work partners." She said, kneeling down to get eye level with the little girl.

"What kind of work?" Tricia asked, tilting her head to the side slightly. At that question, Red felt a lump in her throat from what the correct answer to it would be, but she forced a smile and booped the girl's nose with a finger.

"_It's top secret._" She purred. Tricia gasped.

"Like what? Like...spy stuff?"

"Like spy stuff."

"That's so cool! Can I be a spy like you? You have such cool clothes and we both have red hair! I could be like you!" She said excitedly. Red fought the urge to laugh at the girl's adorable naivety and simply shook her head, causing Tricia to frown.

"Absolutely not." Red replied before smiling again. "I think you'd be an even better spy than me." Tricia immediately perked up, and she giggled, patting Red's arms with her hands. It took a moment to understand what she wanted, but once she got the message, Red gently picked Tricia up in her arms, causing the girl to giggle as she turned to walk back towards the living room.

When Craig noticed the two, his expression showed pure confusion at the sight of the ranger holding his little sister.

"Red, wh-" He began, unable to continue as his thoughts ceased to process. Red simply shrugged, equally baffled. Craig narrowed his eyes and, with a fleeting glance of suspicion, turned his attention back to his mother to continue their catching up session. After a few moments, she heard Tricia let out a soft sigh, and she looked over to see that her eyes were a bit glossy.

"What's wrong?" She asked. Tricia must've just noticed how she looked because, when Red had said that, the little girl quickly wiped her eyes with a sleeve.

"I-I'm fine..." She murmured before hesitantly continuing. "...I just wish Craig could stay longer...He was gone for so many years, and now, every time he comes back, he always has to leave again..." She sniffled, wiping her eyes again.

"You really love your brother, huh...?" She asked. Tricia's bottom lip stuck out as she rested her head on Red's shoulder, giving a small nod. Red gave a soft sigh. "Well...then I suggest you go over there and spend as much time with him as you can before he does have to leave, and appreciate the moments you do have. Okay?" Tricia sniffled again before nodding. Red gently set her back down, and Tricia immediately ran over to Craig, barreling into him at full speed and engulfing him in a hug, the impact causing him to let out an _'oof.' _He and his mother both let out a chuckle as Craig picked Tricia up and sat her on his lap, holding her close to his torso. Red simply stood there and watched, rubbing her arm a bit. She felt a twisting feeling in her stomach and chest. She was like that for a while, watching them talking and enjoying each others' company, until she realized she'd been staring at them for more than an uncomfortably long time. She blinked and looked away with a sigh, resigning herself to staring out the nearest window instead. That's when she noticed how dark the sky was getting. Her eyes widened a bit, and she looked back. Was he even worried about the repercussions they could face lest they return late? Or did he just not take Gregory's threats seriously? _Big mistake._ She scoffed and shook her head. _"Craig."_ She said loudly. The boy turned his attention to her with a slight look of annoyance.

_"What?"_

"The sky. It's nearly dusk." She replied. Craig seemed to finally take their situation seriously as his eyes widened slightly.

"Uh, mom..." He began, turning towards her. "...I...I'm sorry, but I have to get going."

"So soon...?" She asked, clearly disappointed.

"Sorry..." He held her hands again. "If all goes well, I'll be sure to visit again within the month."

"You'd better, young man." She said before suddenly engulfing him in a tight hug, trapping Tricia in the middle. "Oh, I'll miss my sweet little boy..."

_"Moooom..."_ Craig whined, blushing in embarrassment as he side-eyed Red.

"Right, right...you're a man, now." She said sheepishly as she separated from the hug, moving a hand to his cheek. "I love you so much, sweetie." Craig sighed and placed his hand on hers, holding it against his cheek.

"I love you too, mom..." He said, hugging her one last time before moving Tricia off of his lap and standing. His mother stood as well and followed him to the door. Tricia quickly ran up and grabbed his hand. He looked down at her.

"You...you _promise_ you'll come back soon?" Craig knelt down in front of her, gently petting her head.

"No force on Earth could stop me." He smiled reassuringly, even if he himself wasn't sure. Tricia let out a whimper before trapping Craig in yet another tight hug. He held her tightly for a good few moments before reluctantly letting go. "I'll miss you, Trish..." He said softly before standing back up. He looked over at Red. "Ready?" He asked. Red caught herself staring again, but she shook her head and nodded.

"Eh, yeah! Yeah." Craig nodded.

"Bye, mom. It was...good...seeing you again."

"You too, Craig." She put a hand to his cheek again. "Oh, my little boy's all grown up...I'm so proud of you, son. You've become a fine young man." Craig blushed again, but didn't protest this time.

"Thanks, mom. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie. Goodbye for now."

"Bye, mom. Bye, Tricia." As he said that, the little girl gave him a sad wave before clutching onto her mother's skirt as she watched him walk away.

~o~O~o~

After nearly half an hour of feeding and petting every living thing in the vicinity, Tweek and Herbert had decided on joining Christophe outside, much to the latter's chagrin. He'd hoped for a little more time to himself, something that was often out of his reach thanks to Gregory. But...he did find the change of company to be rather refreshing, he had to admit.

"So, Tweek." Herbert said as he leaned against a fence while Tweek sat on another random tree stump near Christophe's. "What is it like hailing from Barbarian heritage?" He asked curiously. "So little is known about them and their ways." Tweek smiled at him.

"Yes, well, there's a reason for that. We don't really let outsiders in. We're a very territorial people."

"I see. But if your people are so reclusive from others, however did you come to meet Craig?" He asked with a chuckle. Tweek snorted.

"I tried to kill him." He answered with a snicker. Herbert's eyes widened in amusement, and Christophe turned to look at him with interest.

"You _what_?" The brunette asked incredulously.

"I shot him a couple times because he was stealing from us. I tracked him down and captured him, then he bashed my head with a rock, I saved him from a dire wolf attack, then captured him again, but after that, we just kind of...clicked." There was pure silence between the three before Herbert suddenly let out a hearty laugh.

"Well, if that isn't a match made in heaven, I don't know what is!" He snorted. Christophe gave a small smirk.

"_Enfer_, and I thought _Gregory_ was bad." He scoffed. "Least he 'asn't shot me."

"_Yet_." Herbert chimed in, his expression and tone half amused and half serious. The brunette cast Herbert a warning look and Tweek looked at Christophe curiously.

"Oh, speaking of, I've been meaning to ask for a bit now since it's piqued my curiosity...what _is_ your relationship with Gregory? I mean...is there, like...a_ thing_ going on between the two of you, or-...?" As soon as those words left Tweek's mouth, a chill ran over the group, and everyone became very quiet and still. Christophe's somewhat good mood seemed to die right then and there. He pointed at Tweek.

_"Zat is none of your business."_ He snapped. He then turned his point to Herbert. "And _you_...you will tell 'im _nozing_." Herbert gave a solemn nod and waved a hand dismissively. Tweek's expression switched to a confused, yet apologetic one.

"Oh, I...I'm sorry. I didn't...I didn't realize it was such a sensitive topic-..." Tweek fiddled with his hands as he looked at the two sheepishly.

"It's quite fine, love." Herbert sighed. "There are just some questions that are..._better left unasked_." Tweek hesitated before giving a small nod, looking over at Christophe.

"Right. Sorry, I-" The blonde was cut off as a sound he couldn't quite identify was heard in the distance, and he noticed that Christophe visibly stiffened, his pupils constricting.

"'erbert...did you lock ze gate...?" He suddenly asked, concern in his tone. Herbert immediately stiffened as well, but before he could say anything, several dogs - there must have been at _least_ a dozen - came barreling around the corner of the stables towards them. It was in that moment that Tweek saw Christophe move faster than he'd ever seen a human move as he stood and darted towards the nearest fence, leaping onto it and pulling his legs up, trying to balance on top of the thin boards. Some of the dogs ran to him, yelping and barking. A couple of the dogs broke off of the group to greet Tweek, and he was smiling widely as he pet them profusely."'erbert, you idiot! Zis is why I didn't want to come out 'ere! Ze démons always get out!" Herbert laughed as he watched the dogs jumping at the poor brunette.

"Oh, they're hardly demons, my friend. They just want attention."

"Well, zey can shove zat attention right up zeir asses!" He snapped, kicking at one of them. Herbert shook his head.

"Don't abuse the hunting dogs, Chris." He then turned his attention to Tweek. "Tough guy over here has a_ horrendous_ fear of dogs."

"_Va te faire foutre._" Christophe hissed. Herbert laughed again. Tweek looked up and cocked his head at the man.

"You can understand his language?" He asked. Herbert grinned and nodded.

"I've known Christophe since he was nine. I've picked up quite a bit since then."

"Really?" He asked, impressed. "What did he say that was so funny?"

_"He told me to kiss his ass."_ Herbert snickered. Tweek snorted out a laugh. "Now, allow me to help the poor lad." He said before bringing his forefinger and thumb to his mouth and letting out a shrill whistle. All of the dogs stopped immediately and turned their heads towards Herbert. He pointed back the way they came. "Alright, that's enough from the lot of you! Back to the pen, now!" He commanded in a stern voice, ushering them along. "Come on! Let's go!" The dogs began trotting away, Herbert walking behind them like a shepherd as they disappeared around the corner. Tweek looked back over to Christophe to see him hesitantly sliding off of the fence, cautiously moving back over to sit on his stump.

"Wow, you're _really_ afraid of dogs, aren't you?"

"My, whatever gave you zat idea?" The brunette replied sarcastically with a sneer.

"Well, is there any reason why?"

"None of your business, zat is why." He spat. Tweek put his hands up defensively.

"Look, I'm just trying to make small talk." He shrugged. Christophe furrowed his brows and leaned over, grabbing Tweek by the collar and pulling him until his face was a few inches away.

"_Non, you ask far too many personal questions._ You need to keep your filzy Barbarian nose out of my business, _tu m'entends_?" He hissed. "We are _not_ friends. You don't get to ask me _anyzing_. _Comprendre?_" Tweek nodded quickly, but before he could say anything in response, they were interrupted.

"Chris! Hands off him_ now_!" The two looked to the side to see Herbert standing there with his hands on his hips, glaring at Christophe with a disappointed expression. The brunette glared at him.

"Zis doesn't involve you, _garçon d'écurie_." Christophe snapped. Herbert furrowed his brows.

"I don't care. You may be Gregory's bitch, but my position is still greater than yours, and you will do as I say." Herbert crossed his arms angrily. Christophe bared his teeth slightly, but with a grunt, he let go of the blonde's shirt and pushed him back slightly, causing him to fall back onto his respective stump. "Good." Herbert then looked at Tweek. "Apologies, he can be a bit brash at times."

"Yes, I've noticed." Tweek said before shaking his head. "But it's okay. I may have..._overstepped_ in my curiosity."

_"Severely."_ Christophe hissed under his breath.

"Christophe, shut your mouth." Herbert sighed, closing his eyes. With that, Christophe let out another grunt and clenched his fists, standing up from his seat.

"You know what? I do not need zis. You look after 'im for ze rest of ze day. I'd prefer to be at Gregory's side zan to be ganged up on by a friend and a pitiful Barbarian." He snarled before sharply turning and walking off towards the pathway that led back to the castle.

"Chris-" Herbert began, but the other paid no mind and kept walking. The man sighed and shook his head. "What a tortured boy..." He grumbled. Tweek looked over at him.

"How do you mean?"

"He's just so...touchy about everything, especially anything involving himself or Gregory. Like...he thinks the world is out to get him. And I'm certain it's due to the horrid life he's had up to this point." He shook his head again, looking down. "He just refuses to let anyone in. Anyone except _Gregory_."

"What_ is_ their relationship, if I may ask again? He isn't here to get upset and the curiosity is eating at me."

"Tweek-" Herbert began in a warning tone. "...I'm not sure I'm at liberty to disclose that information."

"I swear I won't say anything to him or anyone about what you tell me." He pleaded. Herbert gave him an unsure look.

"Are you quite sure? He'd have my head if he knew."

"I swear on my life, Herbert." The ginger man looked off to the side before sighing and sitting down on the stump Christophe had been on.

"Right...Okay..." He held his hands between his knees and sighed, seeming hesitant to speak. "Gregory and Christophe have, as a severe understatement, a rather _interesting_ relationship. Their relationship...it _is_ romantic, I suppose. _In a way._" He looked up thoughtfully. "They're certainly lovers." Tweek's eyes widened.

"Lovers?" He asked. "They certainly don't act like it."

"Well, that's why I said 'in a way.' In front of others, Gregory is professional, but behind closed doors...they certainly have at each other. In more ways than one."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well..." Herbert sighed again. "...of course they kiss and make love as lovers do - _if one could call it lov_e - but at other times, Gregory...he beats the living hell out of Christophe over the smallest things, and it just...it really grinds my gears, you know? I mean, I know Christophe is a servant and, therefore, he could do as he pleases to him, but...that's not how you treat someone you apparently love."

"How do you know all this?"

"I've known Gregory since he was born; there's hardly a thing I don't know about him. Christophe, as I previously stated, I've known since he was nine. Since around the time he first came here, Christophe seemed to always take solace in coming out here and talking to me, but when Gregory started slowly becoming the monster he is today..." Herbert shuddered slightly. "...our talks quickly became nothing more than venting sessions where the poor lad would lay out all he went through to me. Some days...the things he told me made me absolutely _sick_." He grimaced. "And, yet, he loves that blonde with all his heart...Tragic, honestly..." Tweek shook his head in disbelief.

_"Why?"_

"They're both confused, I think. Confused as to what love really is. Gregory...while his father was alive...was abused almost every day of his life. Yet, at the same time, his father would turn around and tell him he loved him. It's my personal belief and theory that that caused Gregory to develop some kind of..._warped_ sense of what love is. And as he grew...that vicious cycle continued unto Christophe. And now Christophe, too, believes that love is when you can lay your hands on those you care about as long as you tell them you love them afterwards. So he takes Gregory's beatings because they come with a side of some pretty words and gentle touches that he misinterprets as love." Throughout Herbert's explanation, Tweek had pulled his legs up onto the stump he was sitting on and against his chest, hugging his knees with wide eyes. A slight horripilation of unnerve ripple through him.

"That's so..._horrible_..." He murmured. Herbert nodded.

"Indeed. And I fear it will only grow worse with time. I only thank the stars that, due to Gregory's preference, he will never procreate and pass such horrible traits unto his heir as his father had done to him. I pray the cycle of violence ends with him."

"Then who would the throne pass to?" He asked.

"I haven't a clue, though I have suspicion that Gregory believes he will live forever, so that's not even a thought to him. That childish notion that entitled boys such as himself seem to possess at his age." He gave a small chuckle.

"I...wow...I never would have guessed that there was that kind of history behind those two." And some decent information that could be used to their advantage.

"They are a hard book to read, and part of me wishes that I wasn't one of few that was allowed to glimpse at their pages." He shook his head with another chuckle. "Look at me, getting all poetic." He straightened himself up and stood, brushing off his pants. "Well, I say that's enough secret spilling for me, me and my loose tongue. I should get back to work. I'd like to take my mind off of such a depressing topic anyway." He looked over at Tweek with a warm grin, though it was clear it was somewhat forced. "Since it seems you're stuck with me for the rest of the day, you wouldn't mind helping me out with the rest of the animals, would you?" Tweek perked up slightly before the slightest of smiles crept onto his face.

"There's nothing I'd rather do."


	16. Reunited

After a long day of helping Herbert with the animals, Tweek had decided he'd seen enough for today and was led back to his room by Philip. Tweek gave him a nod of thanks before closing the door and immediately tearing off the shirt._ Finally. _He didn't have to wear that godforsaken article of clothing anymore. With a tired sigh, Tweek walked over to the bed and plopped down onto it, staring up at the ceiling. After a bit, he frowned and grabbed a pillow, hugging it close to his body. He really hoped Craig would come back soon and that nothing had happened to him.

He didn't know how long he was lying there like that, but before he knew it, he was dozing off. He was almost asleep when there was a knock at the door. Tweek immediately shot up, instantly wide awake, into a sitting position. _Could that finally be Craig?_ He slid out of bed and rushed over, wrenching the door open. However, it wasn't Craig. He wasn't disappointed, though, when he saw that it was Christophe. He looked peeved.

"Zis is for you..." He grumbled, shoving a tray of food towards him.

"O-oh, uh...thank you." Tweek offered him a smile, but the brunette only gave a grunt in response.

"I'll be back in a bit to take ze tray." He huffed before turning to walk away.

"U-uh, wait...Christophe..." The boy stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around. Tweek sighed. "I-...I'm sorry. I'm sorry for asking so many personal questions, and...and I'm sorry that you felt ganged up on...I just...it's none of my business, and...I'm just...sorry." At the apology, Christophe looked back over his shoulder at Tweek for a moment, his expression slightly surprised, but he said nothing as he simply grunted once more before walking off. Tweek sighed again in disappointment and took the tray to his bed, setting it down and moving to sit. He brought his legs up onto the bed to sit cross-legged, resorting to merely picking at his food. He recognized the taste of the meat as quail, but there were sides of vegetables and grains he couldn't identify. Barbarians were typically meat-eaters.

After nearly twenty minutes, a knock was heard at his door again, but this time they didn't wait for a response. The door opened and the brunette walked in.

"You've barely touched your food." He huffed. "You insult the prince's generosity."

"I'm not that hungry..." Tweek mumbled, looking off to the side. In all honestly, he hadn't had an appetite as of late.

"Zat is no excuse. You should be grateful. Servants are only fed twice a day, so we eat what we can, hungry or not."

"Then why don't_ you_ eat the rest?"

"I _can't._" He growled.

"Any why not?"

"I'm not allowed." Tweek looked up at him.

"So? If I was a servant and offered free food, I'd take it." He gingerly pushed the tray towards Christophe. "Especially if you're as malnourished as you claim." The brunette eyed the tray, but he didn't move. Finally, after a few moments, he shook his head.

"You are ze strangest prisoner I 'ave ever met." He replied as he eyed the tray once more. He seemed to mentally war with himself for a few moments before relenting. "I...I suppose I could...sneak zis to ze servant quarters. Can't let good food go to waste." He said as he picked the tray up. "You...won't tell Gregory of zis, will you...?" Tweek smiled at him.

"My lips are sealed." He replied. Christophe gave a nod as he began walking off, tray in hand, but he stopped for a moment halfway to the door. With hesitation, he turned to look back at Tweek.

"Ehm...I...I was zinking about your...apology, and...I just...I wanted to say sorry...as well...?" He said awkwardly, as if he'd never apologized before. Tweek was caught off-guard by the apology, but it only made his smile widen.

"It's okay, Christophe. And...thank you."

"...Please...call me Tophe." And, with that, he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

~o~O~o~

After what felt like forever, Red and Craig finally made it to the familiar castle in the mountains, trotting up the winding path on their horses. They dismounted at the front gates and handed the animals off to be taken to the stables, the guards making sure to be careful with Red's horse in particular.

"I never thought I would actually be happy to be back here...Do we really have to do this _every day_...?" Craig whined. Red rolled her eyes.

"Those are Gregory's orders." She replied before muttering to a guard to tell Gregory that they were back. Craig crossed his arms with an expression of discontent as they walked inside and towards Gregory's study. Once they found it and walked inside, Craig plopped down on the nearest chair with an exasperated sigh. The crackling fireplace nearby was a welcome comfort. "Oh, come now, it wasn't _that_ bad."

"Says you." Craig grunted as he watched Red move to sit in another nearby chair. It seemed like hours that they were waiting, but the door eventually opened, and both sat up straight in their chairs at the familiar blonde walked in with a pleasant smile.

"Greetings. I apologize for my tardiness. I had to discipline my servant for harboring food in the servant quarters outside of mealtime." He said in that soothing yet malicious voice that just seemed to be his normal way of talking as he walked to the largest of the lounge chairs and sat down. He smiled warmly as he looked at Craig, leaning his elbow on the arm of his chair and resting his head in his hand. "So, what information have you for me?"

"Well, we-" Red began, but she was cut off as Gregory slammed his free hand down on the other arm of his chair.

"_You will speak when spoken to._" He snapped as he glared at her before turning his gaze back to Craig. "I want to hear it from the boy." Red lowered her head and went silent, her cheeks heating up slightly in humility. Craig looked around awkwardly before speaking.

"A-after...after the last battle the humans suffered...especially after several left their ranks to seek out your kingdom...they are short on numbers."

_"Excellent."_ Gregory purred. "Anything else?"

"They are sending all of their forces out, so...they will be left with little to no defense..." He sighed. Gregory gave a pleased nod before looking over at Red.

"Do you _now_ have anything to add, dear?" He asked with a hint of agitation in his tone.

"I-...Yes. I have this." From under her cloak, Red brought out a large sack and stood, walking over and tossing it at Gregory's feet. With a curious cock of his eyebrow, the blonde leaned down and picked the bag up, pulling up the latch on it and opening it. His eyes seemed to shine at what he saw. Upon further inspection, Craig saw that it was full of medicine and medical supplies. But not just any. It looked like what had been in the medicine cabinets in Kupa Keep when Princess Kenny had been trying to help them.

"Hey, you can't take that! They need that!" Craig exclaimed. Gregory let out a hearty laugh.

"Oh, last time I checked, the dead don't need medicine." He purred, placing the bag next to his chair. Craig was fuming at this point, but he new better than to exacerbate the already tight spot he was in. "Right, then. If there's nothing else you have for me, then I suggest the two of you rest up for tomorrow's journey." He said with a grin before waving them off dismissively. Red nodded and stood as she began walking out. Craig hesitated, still wracked with anger, but with a warning glance from Red, he also stood and followed her out. Once they left the room, Craig turned to the girl next to him.

"Did you really have to steal all that shit?!" He whispered angrily.

"I did. They won't have use for it much longer." She replied coldly. "Best they gave it to someone who would." Craig shook his head.

_"I can't believe you..."_

"Hey, I'm just doing what I'm paid to do!" She said defensively. Craig shook his head and waved her away.

"You know what? Fuck you." He growled. "I'm going back to my room to see Tweek." He said before running off down the hall. Red watched him go with a disgruntled scoff.

"He'll learn soon enough..." She sighed, but as she turned to walk away, she felt a pang of guilt; something she wasn't quite used to feeling. She'd noticed well beforehand that she felt nothing until she saw Craig with his family and then...No. _No._ She clenched her hands into fists. No way she was going soft. She had a job to do, and she was going to do it, no matter what. After all, she had her own someone that she needed to provide for. She was not going to forsake any of that for the emotions of some boy she barely knew.

~o~O~o~

Tweek had been laying in his bed when he suddenly jumped at the sound of the bedroom door slamming open. He sat up and it was as if time stopped as he saw Craig standing there with wide eyes. Almost instantly, Tweek threw himself from the bed and ran up to him, nearly tackling him to the ground in the process with the force that be barreled into him with. At that moment, it was as if all negativity Craig had been previously feeling melted away as he was finally reunited with the blonde.

"Oh, Craig, I missed you so much!" Tweek whimpered as he squeezed the life out of the other. Craig let out a small laugh as he hugged him back with equal force.

"I missed you too, Tweek." He then separated from the hug and moved his hands down to Tweek's sides, seeming to inspect his body. "Have they been treating you well? Feeding you? No injuries?" He asked worriedly. Tweek giggled as he cupped Craig's face in his hands and made him look at him.

"I'm fine, Craig." He purred softly as he pressed a soft kiss to Craig's lips. "They treated me rather well, actually."

"They'd better." Craig sighed as he wrapped his arms around Tweek's waist and pulled him close.

"How was your journey?"

"Hard...We went to Kupa Keep. It was...difficult...to see all those familiar faces I betrayed long again with the knowledge that I was there only to betray them once again. And...I got to see my family again." He gave a sad smile, his eyes glossing up slightly. "Tricia...she's getting so big..." Tweek returned the sad smile as he gently stroked Craig's cheek.

"Hey...it'll be okay, Craig. Even though things seem bleak right now...it'll all work itself out." He said in a comforting tone as he brought the noirette in for another kiss. "I'm sure of it." Craig sighed and nodded.

"For everyone's sake...I hope you're right."


	17. IMPORTANT NOTICE

Hello people!

I know I have kind of fallen off of the face of the Earth, but do know that I still hold this story dear!

I just started at my second college, and with all of the Corona and craziness happening today, things have just not been working in my favor, so I apologize.

But know I have not forgotten about dear Prince Gregory and Christophe, as well as the other characters! In fact, I have something to offer!

**To all interested, check out my new South Park Instagram AU coming soon: Dominion Park! It is based on the fanfic!**

**Just search it up on Instagram and follow along on this interactive journey where you can _personally_ ask the characters questions and see what the plot has in store!**


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